Rotten Roses
by KaylenDarkfire
Summary: I was inspired by a short story that someone else wrote that was between Ty and Kid Rot so I decided to continue it with the other persons permission of course. In short, Kid Rot has gained romantic interest in Ty and has began to leave rotten roses and other things around for Ty to find. That's all I'm leaving in the summary for now. Hope you enjoy.
1. Uncertain

**Hi everyone! Sorry for not having posted in a while but I've been busy with school and life in general. I have been writing more for my Halloween Horrors story but I haven't been able to finish the latest chapter and have come to a stop to allow inspiration to come back to me.**

 **I have recently read a fanfiction by a user on DeviantArt named** **BitingSnakes** **and it has inspired me to write a continuation of it since the fiction was very short. It is a short story about the pairing Ty and Kid Rot and the** **original story** **can be found here art/Rotted-Roses-Ty-Kid-Rot-671454738. Hope you all enjoy! I don't know how far I'll go with this story so I'll just leave it at T rating** **until I see it needs to be changed.**

 **For those who don't want to read the original writing, I'll just tell a quick summary before the story beginnings. In short, Kid Rot has been leaving rotten things around the Archers house, seemingly** **for Ty to find, in places such as at his bedroom windowsill** **and the like. Most noticeably** **it's been rotten roses, among other things, and when Ty confronts Kid about it, Kid** **says he thought it would be obvious and leaves Ty confused but flattered.**

Rotten Roses

Chapter 1: Uncertain

It had been about a week since Ty had confronted Kid Rot about the rotten roses and animal corpses being left around and, honestly, he still wasn't sure how to feel about it or what to do next. On one hand, he could confront him again but this time not allow him to walk away after a vague answer. The roses and corpses were still showing up, though now the roses more than the corpses, much to Ty's relief. He didn't enjoy the small dead rodents at his door step, rotten and gross as they were. He might have enjoyed these 'gifts' if they'd been brought to him by Hairball, who he'd found on several occasions eating the carcasses, but he knew who'd left them there.

The other option he'd been contemplating was telling somebody about this but he was unsure. Both options came with their pros and cons. Confronting Kid could get him more answers and, hopefully, get the roses and corpses to stop but then, at the same time it **could** be a trap just to lure Ty away from his home so he could be killed off easily. Ty wouldn't put this whole thing as being a convoluted trick above Kid Rot. He'd proven to be an conniving and at times malicious and evil psychopath. The only reason Ty wasn't so sure that it was a trick was because of their last meeting and how Kid had the perfect opportunity to kill him. Maybe he just hadn't done it because Ty was so close to his house but he couldn't be sure yet.

Now the pros of telling someone would be that whoever he told could help him figure out what to do. Specifically, he wanted to tell Abby but at the same time, he was worried that she'd get upset over the matter. Kid Rot had become a particularly touchy subject for her, mostly because deep down, she still wanted to save Chester and destroy the parasite. Ty had wanted the same too, even though a part of him considered that maybe Chester was too far gone to be saved but he would never tell her that. Another reason why he didn't want to tell his older sister was because he didn't want it to seem like he was running to her for help. So many times now, she'd swooped into a scene like the hero she was and saved him from a sticky situation. Too many times as far as he was concerned and, for once, he wanted to be able to handle this by himself. He would slap himself in the face later if it turned out as just like the Far-Ty situation did and Abby would, again, have to come save him.

And at the same time, for some reason, this just felt like something he had to deal with on his own. Some private matter between himself and Kid Rot. He decided he would just keep it a secret until he saw the need to tell someone else.

He'd been thinking all this over on a Saturday morning as he sat in bed and browsed through channels on the T.V. It was more to have background noise than to actually watch anything. He'd been at least glad that these things were being left around at night, when there was a least likely chance of anyone else finding the rotten gifts.

Then there was a knock at the door. "Come-" Before he could finish his sentence, Abby came in with a serious and somewhat urgent look on her face.

"Ty, we have to go to the gag lab now." She said and left without allowing him to even answer. Confused, he followed after her to the shed outside to get suited up.

"Abby, why do we need to go now? What happened? Was there an attack?"

"I'll explain in the lab. Let's just hurry." Her tone and attitude gave Ty a feeling of dread deep in his stomach as he got an idea of what she was going to talk about. He did his best to cover up this and just nodded to her, getting dressed and leaving to the lab.

Now suited up, the siblings entered the Lab. Lab Rat was sitting at his chair, eating some fries with Hermes. "Hey guys. What's up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the two.

"This." Abby said and placed a rotten rose in front of Lab Rat on the desk. Ty immediately closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing his suspicions were right. He knew she would have found one eventually, somehow, but he'd still hoped that maybe she wouldn't have known until he told her himself.

The other two didn't take notice as they examined the rose. "Do you think it's from Kid Rot?" Lab Rat asked as he started examining the rose with his computer.

"Of course I do! What else would make a plant rot this way? He'd been acting dormant and away, not causing any trouble, and then comes back out of no where! That's how he's worked so far. I'm just surprised that I haven't seen him, like actually seen him. He would usually start stalking me again too." Abby was angry, her fingers tapping loudly on the table.

"Well, this is definitely from him. Chemicals in the plant confirm that it's the same kind of rot that we deal with whenever we deal with him."

"I knew it!" Abby cried. "But this is good. This gives us a chance to finally capture him and free Chester." As she said the last part, her voice changed to hopeful and almost sad, her hands clasping together in front of her and her eyes closed almost in prayer. Lab Rat patted her shoulder gently and she sighed. "I'm sure we'll be able to do it this time. I'll make sure it happens no matter what." Ty didn't like the way she said that last part. She sounded so determined, like she always did when she was finally going to get something done. "C'mon Ty, let's head out and search for him."

"Wait." The two looked at him now.

"What is it?" She asked.

Ty bit his lip before sighing and saying "Okay, look, I don't think we should go looking for him right now."

" _ **What?**_ " Abby said, a look of shock crossing her face before she walked close and grabbed his shoulder. "Why not? We need to catch him now before he decides to do anything else to catch our attention like rot a school yard or something."

"Um, well..." He was never good at lying, especially not to her. For some reason, the two could just read each other easily and he knew she was reading him now, her eyes narrowing and lip turning into a tight frown as she stared him down.

"Ty, what's wrong? Is there something you know?"

Ty shook his head and said "No, it's just, uh, not the best time for me right now to go looking. I have, you know, homework to do and a project to work on." God, this lie was so paper thin, even he wouldn't believe it if it were told to him.

Abby's expression was one of 'are you serious' and she rolled her eyes. "Ty, if you don't want to go out because it's hot or because you're scared of running into Naomi, you can just say so." Ty glared now.

"I'm **not** _**scared**_ to run into my ex Abby. Besides, me and Naomi are cool now. We talked and we are now on good terms." It had been a few months since the two had broken up. Naomi got tired of Ty being gone and vanishing at random points and when Ty refused to tell her the reason, she broke it off. Ty was devastated and he knew she was just as devastated. It had been hard for them both and the first month or so, he'd avoided even seeing her because it caused him and her too much pain. But recently, in the last month, he'd finally gone to her house and they talked it out. Naomi still didn't want to get back together, much to Ty's sadness, but he understood and they decided to stay friends which did make him happy.

Abby shrugged. "Whatever Ty. If you don't go now, then I'll just go by myself."

The younger grossologist sighed in defeat, not being able to come up with a better lie. "No. Let's go." The two left, Lab Rat giving Ty a questioning look as he passed him.

The two siblings were looking in the middle of the Rottinham Forest where they'd last had an encounter with Kid Rot. They'd been looking for an hour now and hadn't found anything. Not a single sign of Kid Rot. Abby looked frustrated and confused at the same time. "Where else do you think he'd be, Ty?" She asked. Ty shrugged, honestly unsure. They hadn't learned of any other hiding spot, though they were sure Kid had one somewhere. Abby gave a soft hum before she turned to Ty. "Okay, so I've got this idea but it's a little risky. I think maybe we should look in different areas and see if we can find signs of Kid like that."

"But what **_if_** we find Kid? I don't think the both of us could successfully take him on, let alone one of us." Ah, logic, Ty's main way of working and approaching situations. Abby frowned, her eyebrows pressed together in concern.

"I know, but it could help us figure out where Kid is faster. I don't really think we'll get anywhere soon otherwise."

After a little more discussion, Ty agreed and the two went in different directions but still kept close enough to call the other if something happened. It gave Ty time to think about the new situation at hand. Now that Abby found out, she'd probably be always on the lookout for more of the gifts and no doubt start finding them. Already, she was so agitated and strained by the situation and Ty didn't want it to affect her any more than it already had.

He had just peered into a bush and gasped in shock at the two eyes that stared back at him. He fell back and glared at the bush as soft laughter could be heard from it.

"That was too good." Kid whispered from the bush. "Man, your face was just too good. Would have been better if you actually yelled but then again, that would have alerted you know who."

"Kid, you fucking-! What're you doing in there?" Ty whispered back, trying to keep his voice down.

"What? I'm just watching you two, running around looking for clues that aren't there."

"You're being a creep like always, huh."

"Aaawe." Kid almost whined, Ty giving an uncomfortable look because of it. "Don't be like that. It's just what I do. It's how I keep an eye on my _interests_." Something about the way Kid said interests made Ty's skin crawl.

He glanced back to where Abby was, his nerves getting the best of him as he contemplated calling her over. Kid took notice and smirked.

"Getting scared and running to your big sister for help? How _cute_." Ty immediately snapped back with a dirty look. "Oooh, I struck a nerve! It's always so fun messing with the both of you and what makes you tick." He laughed again and it was really starting to tick Ty off.

"If this is your way of showing someone you're interested, it's a sure way to drive them off." Kids laughter stopped and he leaned out of the bush. "Oh, but I'm just playing Ty. Don't take it so personally." Ty wasn't pleased by that answer and continued to glare but his attention was grabbed by Abby calling out from her spot.

"Ty! Did you find anything?" She shouted.

"No!" He called back, still keeping an eye on Kid. "I haven't found anything." Kid grinned in response.

"Well, I think we should go! I'm getting pretty tired of finding nothing and mom and dad might be wondering where we are already." Though she did sound tired, there was also a hint of defeat in her voice. Ty frowned knowing that she was probably disappointed since she didn't find anything.

"Okay!" Ty called and was about to leave when Kid grabbed his arm, pulling him close.

The grossologist tensed up, ready to fight his way out and yell for Abby but Kid quickly let go of his hand. "Hey, heeeey, no need for that anger. Calm down a little." Ty frowned and would have snapped back with something but Kid held up his hands in surrender. "Look, I don't want to argue about this especially since we don't have time but I would like to meet up again. Where would you like to go?"

"Wha...What?" Ty was confused by the request and Kid rolled his eyes.

"Limited time, Ty. How about that burger joint you always like going to? Huh? I know you like it. You go there a lot." The idea of having been stalked didn't make the situation any better for Ty and again he was just at a loss for words, trying to process an answer. Kid sighed and said quickly "Meet me there tonight!" Before ducking away just as Abby come from where she'd been.

"Ty? What're you doing crouched next to a bush? Did you find something?"

"Uh, no. I didn't find anything. I just-" before he could finish his lie, a small mouse squealed and ran out of the bush, past the two siblings. "A mouse. I'd seen a mouse and wanted to see where it was headed." Abby laughed softly as she saw the small scared thing run in a circle as it contemplated where to go before it climbed up a tree.

"Cute little thing. C'mon, let's go. Mom's probably already made some lunch and I'm actually really hungry."

"Same here." Ty said, walking along even though food was the last thing on his mind.


	2. Let's Meet Again

Chapter 2: Let's Meet Again

So the second confrontation didn't turn out as well as he'd hoped. He didn't get any answers that he'd wanted but he did get a time and place to meet Kid again and this time it would happen without interruption.

He hadn't eaten as much like he usually did because of what was on his mind and his mom and Abby took notice. He shrugged it off and said that he just wasn't feeling like eating a lot. Both of them tried to pry for more info, especially his mom who thought he might be sick, but he wouldn't allow it, ensuring that it was nothing serious. He ended up retiring to bed early, around 8:30, at the request of his mother who was sure he was sick. He rolled his eyes and bid goodnight to his parents but Abby followed him to his room.

"What's up?" He asked as he entered his bedroom.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, closing the door behind her.

"Yes, for the last time, I'm fine." He said, smiling at her. "Thank you for your concern but there's nothing wrong."

"I don't know, Ty. With how you acted earlier at the gag lab and then now, I just feel like there's something off." She was always a pretty observant person so it didn't surprise Ty that she was starting to see that there was something different. Of course, that doesn't mean he was going to tell her what it was or confirm that it was there in the first place.

"Nope, it's just you this time Abby." He felt bad for lying to her face, he really did, but for now he felt it was just best if he kept it a secret from her. It might be best for the both of them, actually, since she'd probably get both hurt and angry if she found out Ty was meeting with Kid without telling her.

"Hmmm, okay. Goodnight Ty." The two hugged and Abby left, leaving Ty alone in the dark. He sighed and lied down, not intending to go to bed but just wanting to think. What was he hoping to accomplish by seeing Kid in private like this, anyway? What would it do? Was he just going to ask Kid to come to the lab? Oh yeah, as if that would work out.

'Hey, uh, so if you like me so much, could you, oh I don't know, do me a favor and come to the gag lab so we can finally kill you?'

'Oh yeah, sure thing. I'll even do it all with a smile and no fight what-so-ever.'

He didn't know what his intentions were. Maybe just to see where it goes? Hmm. The more he thought about it, the more his thoughts started to go in all directions as he began to relax. Before he knew it, though, he'd fallen asleep. He snapped awake and shot up.

"Fuck." he rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" The clock on his shelf read midnight, it's glowing red numbers visible in the night. He smacked his forehead before diving out of bed and quietly creeping out of the house to the shed where he changed into his grossologist suit. Pausing, he wondered if he should go to the gag lab to grab his goop shooter. He bit his lip, thinking it over before coming to his decision.

As quietly as he could, Ty entered the gag lab, listening for any sounds of Lab Rat. Once he entered the main area, the loud snoring coming from the computer desk put him at ease. With a soft sigh, he quickly grabbed a goop shooter and glanced at Lab Rat. The hermit scientist was curled up in his chair, Hermes cradled gently in his arms. It was an oddly cute scene and Ty couldn't help but smile.

Just as he stepped away, though, the rat awoke with a squeak, perking his ears at Ty. The grossologist bit his thumb, trying to think. He didn't have a cracker with him to give to Hermes this time so instead, he just put his fingers to his lips. "Shh, please Hermes. Shhh." The rat tilted it's head and kept quiet, as instructed, but hopped out of Lab Rats hold and walked towards Ty. "Hermes." He said sternly but the rat continued to follow him, stopping only when Ty closed the main door to the lab, keeping Hermes in and allowing himself to leave.

Hermes squeaked loudly at the door but remained quiet afterward, walking back to his owner and returning to sleep.

At the burger joint, Ty paused noting that it had already closed for the night. 'Fucking great' he thought, pursing his lips as he considered what to do. Maybe he'd go back to the forest and see if Kid was just waiting there but that would mean he'd have to explain to Lab Rat why he was needing the GRS-1 to fly around in the middle of the night. He doesn't think Lab Rat would sleep through the sounds of the GRS taking off.

"Well, it's about time you showed up."

This was the second time Kid Rot had startled Ty and he wasn't happy about it, especially when Kid Rot was laughing again. This time, though, he tried to stifle it, putting his hand over his mouth.

"Sorry. You're just so easy to scare."

"Enough banter, Kid. What did you bring me out here for?" Ty said, glaring. He was already irritated after being scared but he'd honestly also wanted to buy something while he was here. Too bad his dozing off ruined that chance.

"I just wanted to come out here and meet you to talk with you in private." The parasite glanced around. "Though this isn't very private if I had to be honest. But don't you want to know why I'm doing this and what not? Isn't that why you came?" His smile returned, showing his teeth. "Or did you just come to see me too?"

"Don't get any ideas. I want to know why this is happening and I want the gifts to stop. They're gross and upsetting Abby...and me to a lesser extent. I don't exactly enjoy dead squirrels and chipmunks."

"Of course, of course. All you had to do was ask. I did it mostly just to get you to come out and see me." Kid shrugged. "But they'll stop."

"So why do you want to see me? I thought this would be something you did with Abby."

"It would be but my interest has changed from her," he smirked. "To you." Ty narrowed his eyes in response, pursing his lips again. "You don't believe me, I know and I understand why. I mean, why would you?" Kid moved closer, starting to circle the grossologist as he spoke. "I am a psychopath. A killer. An evil villain that, on several occassions, has tried to kill you and take your sister." The way he spoke about it was so casually like he was discussing the weather. "And, especially, the fact that it's probably hard to believe that I'm suddenly gay."

"Yeah, that is _**very**_ hard to believe Kid which is why I **don't** believe it." The grossologist crossed his arms now. "And I'm glad you're so aware of how terrible you are." Ty said sarcastically.

"Yes, I may be terrible most of the time but I can be very kind and giving to those that I have interests in, trust me. Of course, the affection there has to be a two way street."

"Yeah, well, I'm not interested, Kid." At this, Kid stopped walking and stood in front of Ty now.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you come alone? Why haven't you told Abby or anyone else about this yet? Hmm?" He leaned in towards Ty and whispered "Why do you want to keep it a secret so badly?"

Ty backed up, still looking angry but honestly didn't have a clear answer himself. Again, the question that he'd asked himself earlier came up, asking 'What was I even hoping to accomplish coming here?' Kid took notice of Ty being lost in thought and shrugged. "I think it's because you are interested, even if it's in the slightest." Ty huffed and opened his mouth to argue but was stopped by Kid putting his hand in front of him, signaling him to stop.

"I don't know if you're stuck in some inner turmoil or whatever right now but what I do know is that you're still single since you and your ex, what was her name, Naomi I think, broke up. You haven't dated anyone since and, from what I noticed, haven't been looking either. So here, you can take this and just think it over." He handed Ty a takeout bag from the burger joint.

"What is this?" Ty asked.

"Exactly what it looks like. I got you what I assumed to be your favorite meal from here since I always see you get it."

Ty raised an eyebrow and said flatly "I don't like rotten food, you know." Kid rolled his eyes.

"It's not rotten, trust me." Ty took the bag and opened the bag, realizing that Kid Rot had indeed gotten him his favorite meal from the joint; a double cheese burger with condiments in their packets to be added later and a large order of choco-cheesy fries.

"I had gotten you a drink too but it got very watered down since you took a while to get here and I ended up just throwing it away." Kid explained, looking pleased with himself.

"Um, thank you. This is my favorite."

"You're welcome. If you want to meet up again, you can find me back at the forest. If not, I'll just know by you not showing up. Goodnight Ty." He waved and walked off. Ty watched him leave before he returned his attention back to the bag.

"Wow." He said quietly to himself, a whole mess of emotions swirling around inside him, his mind busy with thoughts about everything. He probably looked dazed as he walked home, too deep in thought to really take anything around him into account.

When he did get home, it was around 2 in the morning. Had he really been out for so long? He crept as quietly as he could inside and walked up to his room. There, he changed out of his suit and left it under his bed to be put away later. He was about to go to bed when he remembered the bag of food.

"Well, I wouldn't want this meal to go to waste." With that, he ate up the burger and fries before washing up and finally going to bed, dozing off with thoughts about his night out.


	3. A Major Obstacle

Ty had decided to meet with Kid again but all morning he'd tried to think about what to tell Lab Rat when he goes to the lab without Abby to investigate the forest alone. Lab Rat would surely be suspiscious and let Abby know. Ty had been wracking his mind all morning for an answer but decided to give himself a break while he ate breakfast. He sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal and was soon joined by Abby who was dressed in white running shorts and a green t shirt.

"Are you going somewhere?" The younger of the two asked as the other poured herself some cereal.

"Yeah. Today the cheer leaders and dance groups are going to be practicing outside for their performances next week and I've been called to help decorate the stage along with the rest of the dance committee." She took a spoonful of cereal before sighing and smiling. "I heard the year book club is also going to be there taking pictures. Maybe I'll get to see Greg again."

Ty smiled at his sisters happiness. It was contagious and put him at ease. "Yeah and maybe you two will get to hang out together while you're there."

"Maybe." The girl shrugged and swallowed another mouthful of cereal. "Oh, also, some more good news is that I haven't found any more rotten roses or rotten anything. It's good but I still have this feeling like he's around." This caused Ty to pause in eating, looking up at his sister.

"What makes you think he's still around?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling, I guess." Abby had a deep set frown as she stared into her cereal. "A bad feeling, like as if he's just out of sight or something. Makes me feel like I should keep on my toes more."

"Or, _**or**_ ," Ty said quickly, reaching across the table to pat his sisters hand. "Maybe it was a onetime thing and he's gone into hiding to think of something else again?" The older grossologist twirled her spoon back and forth, thinking it over.

"Hmm, could be or maybe it's a bad sign. I don't know but I'm not going to think about it anymore. I need to relax for now. Don't want to get stress wrinkles or anything." She and Ty both laughed softly at that, as Abby had recently taken notice of the slightest hint at worry wrinkles between her eyebrows. A clear sign that the girl had to take it a little easier in life. She was only eighteen and wrinkles were not something she wanted to start getting just yet. "I'm going to head out before I'm late. Laters Ty."

"Laters." Ty finished up his own bowl of cereal and then got the idea to use that as his excuse for working alone today; Abby being busy with the dance committee. It's not like it hadn't happened before. With that idea in mind, he finished cleaning up his breakfast mess and left to the gag lab.

* * *

"So Abby's busy with her dance committee thing today?" Lab Rat said as he mused over Hermes who looked dreary, slumped like a pancake in Lab Rats hand.

"Yeah. So I'm just going to go and look for signs of Kid Rot around town."

"Hmm," Lab Rat hummed and put Hermes down on the table before turning and talking with Ty directly. "Alright but if you do find something, you'll need to call for back up first and not investigate further on your own, okay?"

Ty nodded, smiling at Lab Rat. "Yeah, I know." He then glanced towards Hermes as Lab Rat walked towards the back of the room to get something. The white rat looked up at Ty with a squeak and rolled onto his feet, approaching him quickly.

The grossologist knew what Hermes wanted; compensation for his silence last night. Happily, he revealed a saltine cracker with cheese added as a bonus, and gave it to the rodent. Without hesitation, Hermes chowed down on the snack, causing Ty to snicker to himself. "Someone's hungry. Don't you feed him Lab Rat?" Lab Rat glanced up at the joke and rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"He's not hungry, just fat, trust me. He's been fed twice today and it's not even noon. **_Right_** Hermes?" The rat held his own tail and squeaked in response, causing Lab Rat to pet him gently. "Hey, buddy, I'm just playing."

Ty smiled at the two of them before he left, taking his goop shooter and grossometer with him.

* * *

Back at the forest, Ty parked the GRS-1 and went in. He didn't know where Kid Rot would be waiting so he just walked around aimlessly, looking around. It was a pretty nice day, quiet other than the sounds of wind and birds around. Although he was here for a certain reason, he didn't mind just enjoying the scenery for a moment.

But after about forty minutes of doing so, he stopped at a tree. "Where is he?" the grossologist wondered aloud, leaning against the tree. It was a big tree with lots of leaves on long branches that gave a lot of shade, perfect for resting under.

Pulling out his grossometer, Ty considered calling Lab Rat to pass the time. He'd give Kid some more time, probably around an hour, to show up. He didn't mind being outside especially since he didn't have anything else to do today except some easy homework assignment. He opened the grossometer to start the call when the sound of someone clearing their throat caused him to look around.

"Up here." Looking up, he saw Kid up in the branches of the tree, sprawled over a particularly large branch in a way that reminded Ty of a lounging cat. His head was resting against one of his hands, giving him an especially relaxed look. "Hello there, down below."

"How long have you been up in the trees watching?" Ty asked as he craned his neck to look up at Kid.

"Aaah, you know me. A while already. I mean, I've been waiting here a while and then I saw you arrive and just decided to watch for a little bit." He replied before sitting up. Ty only had a minute to step aside as Kid jumped to the bottom, landing on his feet with a wide grin.

"You know that's just one of the reasons why Abby didn't return your feelings, right? Other than the obvious with you being a villain and us being the good guys, of course."

"What other reason? That I watched you two?"

"Yes!" Ty said, louder than he intended. "It's _creepy_ being watched constantly especially by someone you don't trust and that could potentially and easily hurt the people you care about." Kid was quiet for a moment, looking around as he considered what to say in response.

"Well," he started. "Does that mean that you trust me, then?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you **have** been meeting up with me, which Abby didn't. You don't start fighting me as soon as you see me, which Abby did. Although," He glanced down at Tys goop shooter, held tightly in his hand. "It would still seem you don't trust me that much yet."

"Not even close." Ty said, shaking his head. "Someone like you isn't exactly the most trustworthy. You _kill things **for fun**_ after all."

"Oooh, c'mon! I've been good lately. Only killing animals and what not, just so I would not cause trouble to your little bureau anymore." Kid Rot said, throwing his arms up in frustration. "Do you know how frustrating it is to stop doing something you like for months and months?"

"If you want anything to happen, you'd do well to stop killing anybody **_forever_**." The grossologist informed, causing Kid to sigh heavily and cover his face.

"That's been something I've just been slowly coming to terms with." He then glanced up, with a smirk. "But that at least tells me you do want something to happen."

Ty pressed his lips together in a tight frown and narrowed his eyes at Kid but it didn't stop the parasite from laughing happily and walking closer. "Oooh, no, no. You can't just deny it anymore. I mean, if you really didn't want anything to happen and weren't interested at all, you'd have me arrested and in the gag lab by now." He was now in front of the grossologist, the two only inches apart. "Right?"

He continued to stare at Kid for a moment before he sighed and looked down. "Yeah." He finally admitted, both to Kid and to himself. In a way, it was relief but at the same time, it left a bad feeling in him. Kid took notice and allowed an emotion to cross his face that Ty hadn't actually seen on him before; sympathy. Honestly, Ty didn't even think Kid could feel that emotion.

"Don't feel so down about it." Kid said with a shrug. "We all do bad things that we shouldn't do, from time to time at least." He ruffled Ty's hair and began to walk away. The other was quick to fix his hair, growling to himself, but followed behind.

"Uh, where are you going?"

"To this place I want to show you. I'm sure you'll be really interested in seeing it." Kid explained. Ty didn't exactly know what that meant but he didn't ask anything else, deciding just to see the place for himself before inquiring about it.

The two walked through the woods for a while in silence until they eventually came to the base of the mountain in this forest. Well, it wasn't an official mountain but it certainly was as tall and wide as one. Kid began climbing with ease while Ty groaned and started climbing himself.

"What? Are you tired?" Kid asked, pausing in his climb to glance down at Ty.

"No." Ty responded, quickening his pace while still trying to keep good footing. "I just don't like climbing. Abby is the one who enjoys it more. I'm pretty sure she went rock climbing with our mom once _for fun_." Ty shook his head, he and his sister having very different ideas of what was fun and relaxing. "Why would you climb rocks for fun when you can play a game or watch T.V. or do literally anything else? I have no clue."

Kid shrugged, not sure either. "Who knows. Just different people enjoying different things. I mean, I enjoy killing things..." He trailed off when he got a pointed look from Ty. Clearing his throat, he continued with the climb as he spoke. "It's just what I like. I'm not going to kill people anymore so there's no worries there and people kill things all the time."

"You're not supposed to enjoy doing so." Ty criticized.

" _Ha!_ I beg to differ. Hunters enjoy when they shoot and kill deer or whatever they're hunting. The people who work at the slaughter houses enjoy their jobs, or at least some of them do, I'm sure. And some people just enjoy killing animals and things they can get their hands on. I've seen it happen."

Ty glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow, but Kid didn't notice and continued on with his tangent. "Sneaking around the town has allowed me to see a lot of things that I probably wasn't supposed to see; kids stomping cats or other small animals out, throwing rocks at dogs that are chained up. I even saw a kid just chuck a bird to the ground. Like, the way that football players throw the football to the ground when they make at touch down. You know?" The grossologist frowned. This new info about some people in this town was very alarming.

The pair fell back into silence as the climb went on, Tyler focusing on his climb while Kid just didn't feel like talking. Eventually, they were able to stop climbing and just walk as the slope of the mountain became less vertical and more diagonal.

"How much longer do we have to keep walking?" Ty asked. Although he didn't want it to come off as whining, he was honestly getting tired. He didn't expect he'd have to do this when he came here and though he wasn't exactly out of shape, his skills weren't as heightened as Abby's and he didn't have the same stamina she did.

"We're almost there. Just five more minutes. You can rest when we get there." Ty was still unsure of what the place was but he was starting to get an idea.

Finally, they got to a small opening on the side of the mountain. It was well hidden, only viewable when close enough to enter it, as the trees and shrub growing around it made for great cover. "What's this entrance to?"

"It's my main hide out." Kid said. "You know, it's one of the places where I live. I wanted to show you where it was so we could meet up here instead of in random places." He turned to Ty and gestured him inside before disappearing into the deep shadow casted by the entrance wall. Ty was about to walk in when he got a bad feeling.

' _'Will you walk into my parlor.' Said the spider to the fly._ ' The sensible part of himself whispered in the back of his mind and he was very much feeling like the fly in that story. Kid took notice of him at the entrance, rooted to his spot and looking nervous.

The parasite re-emerged and repeated his earlier gesture. "What is it? Are you scared that if you come in, you won't come back out?" What he said was meant to be teasing but only came off as malicious to Ty who was already on edge. This was shown when Kid Rot tried to approach Ty and he quickly backed away, going to the very edge of the entrance in case he needed to run.

Kid sighed. "Okay, we don't have to go inside if you don't want to. You can just stay and rest here. I'll be back in a moment." With that, he disappeared back into the darkness. Ty felt kind of bad for acting so hasty but he still wasn't 100% sure he could trust Kid. It was a good sign that Kid wanted to show him his home but what if it was just a trap?

Then his natural curiosity kicked in, wondering about what was inside. A part of him told him it could be interesting and another part told him it could be bad. He remained at his spot for a little longer before walking in, deciding just to glance inside. Unfortunately, the darkness of the cave hid it's layout well and what Ty thought would be more flat ground turned out to be a sudden dip. He pitched forward with a cry of shock and tumbled down the rest of the entrance before falling flat on his face.

"Oow..." He groaned quietly to himself. Before he could pull himself up, Kid was standing before him.

"You know, if I knew you were coming in, I would have told you about the sudden slant." The parasite said, his tone showing that he was slightly irritated but at the same time amused as he pulled Ty to his feet. "Why did you change your mind?"

"I was just curious about what it looked like inside." Ty said as he brushed himself off. "Not that my reason matters. It's pitch black in here. How do you see anything when you're in here?"

"Just like this." With that, there was a soft click followed by a buzzing sound, and lights came on, lighting up the whole cavern, if he could even call it that anymore. It looked like a room, almost, bigger than the average room, with a simple bed, a desk and a door to the side that Ty assumed was a closet.

"How...how did you get all this in here? How did you make this?" He looked at Kid with wide eyes, wondering how Kid could have just gotten all this stuff in here without anyone noticing or how he even got electricity here.

Kid had a smile on his face that looked like he was in trouble or got caught doing something. "I, uh, I didn't get all this stuff here. I didn't make this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, someone else made this and I took it from them." The parasite shrugged.

The grossologist brows were furrowed together as he processed what Kid did and he felt a chill crawl up his spine. "You...you stole this place from somebody...and no one noticed they've been gone? No one knows they were here? How long have you been here?"

"Hmm, since about a year after we first fought here? Yeah. I found the entrance while I was recovering and trying to find a place to hide. A guy was in here. I didn't catch his name or care at all to. Seemed like a real nut, talking about waiting out here in the forest to catch some cryptid and get rich off that. I don't know. I didn't want to hear him talk on and on about crazy stories." Kid grimaced as he remembered the guy but Ty couldn't help but feel sick.

Kid took notice and reached forward, putting his hands on Ty's shoulders to steady him. "Hey, hey, there's no point in getting worked up over it now. That guy has been dead and gone for years and no one has so much as batted an eye about it."

"That only makes it worse!" Ty snapped, pulling away. "Do you feel any guilt at all? When you tear families apart, when you kill people off as if they don't matter? Do you? Any shred of it?" Kid Rot didn't answer. He only stared with a frown. "They're not animals, Kid! They were people, like you and me, with complex feelings and emotions and families and dreams and everything that people feel! And you just wipe them out and move on!" Ty covered his face with his hands, shaking his head now. "How can you just do that? It's so-so..." He was at a loss of words to use.

"Messed up? Terrible?" Kid suggested, causing the grossologist to look up.

He wasn't feeling very well anymore, realizing that this was just one big problem with the parasite. Kid may have been acting good now but that didn't wipe away what he'd done in the past. Nothing could do that.

"I'm sorry but I'm not human, at this point. I'm an evil parasite and, thus, I lack certain human aspects such as empathy, guilt, and a compassion for most human life."

There was a long moment of pause between the two, Kids words sinking in and finally the silence was broken when Ty spoke quietly. "I think it's time for me to go home."

When the pair emerged from the cave, thet sun was setting. Just before Ty started climbing down, Kid stopped him and asked "Are you going to tell the bureau about this place? My hideout." Ty paused, thinking it over for a moment before shaking his head.

"No."

Kid smiled at that. "Goodnight Ty." And with that, the two parted ways and the grossologist back tracked to the GRS-1 to go home.

* * *

 **Authors Notes:** I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. I am trying to write for it as much as I can while still writing for Halloween Horrors so there's a balancing going on between the two as well as still balancing in my school and personal life. Either way, I hope it is coming out well. I'm having my friends check out the chapters and should I find any issues, I'll update the chapters and may or may not change little (or big) details at certain parts.

Also, I'd like to make a response to StarSweep who left a review on this story but not logged in so I cannot reply personally. Thank you so much for your review StarSweep! It was very unexpected and a pleasant surprise. I'm glad you enjoy my story and I hope you continue to enjoy what other chapters I put out. :D Honestly, I was kind of nervous to write this story because there are no other stories (or much art for that matter) of this ship. Oh well. If you want something done, sometimes you just have to do it yourself and I am happy to do so when I can.

As a final thing, with this third chapter, a big issue is brought up that I myself am not sure how to write Ty properly dealing with it. Kid, in most fanfictions involving him, eventually moves on to killing people. I decided to keep that theme here but it gives a really big moral obstacle for Ty because he is a good person and as a hero working for an agency to protect those in need, you can't just let things like that slide without going against what you stand for. Because of this, the next chapter may take even longer to come out but hopefully not. I'll brainstorm with my friends and myself as much as possible and hopefully what comes out in the next chapter will be to both yours and my liking. Wish me luck and any reviews or comments or anything is greatly appreciated.


	4. Decided What To Do

The following two weeks for Tyler were mostly spent in deep thought when he wasn't concentrating on doing work at school or for the bureau. After his last talk with Kid Rot, his mind had raced from thought to thought as he processed the heavy truth that Kid Rot was a killer, a monster, and maybe he was changing now but the other part was still a reality. After the realization set in again, he'd spent all of that night just trying to figure out what to do. Call the police? No. They wouldn't handle this well. Tell Abby and Lab Rat? No. They'd ask why he hadn't told them earlier and he wasn't ready to face that yet. Tell anybody? No.

' _But why?_ ' A voice inside him had asked and he'd gone back to what he and Kid talked about earlier as the answer. He was interested in starting something with Kid for whatever reason that he could not yet explain. Ty was a person of logic and reason and in his mind, he knew that it was wrong and possibly a very bad idea to do this but, at the same time, something in a different part of him urged him to keep the secret meetings just that; secrets. It was from a part deep inside where his emotions and irrationalities roamed free. It was this part that had urged and begged him to tell Naomi the truth about his secret double life to try and save their relationship but his rational side kept his tongue tied and caused the end of that. So then why is it that now his emotions were besting his rational thoughts? He did not know.

His thoughts were too loud to let him sleep but, eventually, they began to die down into quiet whispered arguments between two parts within himself, one rooting for this romance blooming in secret and one that had been previously screaming at him how bad of an idea it was. In that part, there was fear. Fear of being discovered, fear of what people would say, and fear of Kid Rot. Around Kid there was still so much uncertainty and concern. What if Ty was just making the biggest mistake of his life that would eventually lead to the end of his life? But then there stood the fact that Kid had already been given many chances to wipe Ty out, especially in their latest meeting back at Kid Rots hideout. Why not then? It would have been so easy and literally no one would have been able to figure out where Ty had walked off to since he left the GRS-1 behind at the forest entrance.

All these thoughts dwindled and quieted until he drifted off to sleep. This cycle repeated itself every night for the following days, consequently deriving Ty of some sleep which at first didn't show but, by the second weeks Friday, began to become more evident. Mostly due to...

 _ **Slam!**_ Tyler jolted up from where he'd laid his head down on his desk. As he collected himself and remembered where he was, he looked up at the scowling face of his math teacher. The man was older with many wrinkles and white hair all over his face except for the top of his head. Because of his bush of a beard, many students had dubbed him a math wizard, especially with his thick, round glasses.

Ty opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by the teacher raising his hand and shaking his head. "Mr. Archer, if there is something going on at home or in your personal life to keep you from sleeping at home, I'd recommend going to the counselor. If not, then this will be your last warning. This is the fourth time this week that you've dozed off in my class."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Ty felt embarrassed as he spoke, catching the glances from the other students and soft murmurs around him. He rarely ever disrupted class so he wasn't use to being under this kind of spotlight. The teacher nodded, pushing his glasses back into place.

"Well good. If you need a note for the counselor, just ask me after class and I'll be happy to write you one. For now, I'd say you should go to the restroom and splash some cold water in your face." Tyler agreed and left briskly.

* * *

Later on, after that class, Ty walked to the lunchroom to eat. He would usually join Abby but she'd messaged him just before class ended saying that she would be staying late in her science class to work on a project with her lab partner. Ty didn't mind too much since he considered sitting with Andy if he was available. He'd just picked up his lunch tray of mac and cheese when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Ty." It was Naomi, smiling happily at him with her bag of food brought from home.

"Hey Naomi. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to sit together. I feel like we haven't talked in a while since we patched things up about the break up and I don't want things to get distant or anything." Naomi was a very cheery person and Ty appreciated how much effort she was putting forth to normalize their friendship. He was glad she'd agreed to stay friends.

"Of course. I'm actually glad you want to sit together because Abby's busy with a project but now I have you for company." Ty said with a big smile, causing Naomi to smile too.

Once the two sat down, they started simple chit chat about how the other had been and Naomi informed about new things she found out she'd become allergic to such as willow trees and frogs. Such odd allergies but nothing too severe for her since she's use to it by now. The conversation was relaxed and the two just genuinely enjoyed being able to talk again.

"Well, onto another topic, I actually wanted to ask you something Ty." Naomi's smile dropped into a somewhat solemn expression that worried Ty.

"What is it?" He asked, trying to keep calm.

"Are you alright? The falling asleep in class thing has gotten me a little worried. I just want to make sure everything is okay and there's not something bothering you." She looked concerned as she spoke, leaning towards Ty. "Of course, it's only if you want to talk but I just want you to know that I'm here."

Ty almost sighed in relief and appreciation. She still genuinely cared about him as he did for her.

"Oh, no, don't worry Naomi. I'm totally fine. I've just been staying up late watching TV and playing games. It's nothing major and I'll probably be stopping soon since Mr. Rodrick is getting tired of it." Naomi nodded and laughed quietly.

"Yeah, he really made you jump by slamming his ruler on your desk. But I'm glad you're alright." She patted his hand gently before perking up. "Oh, also! My dance group and I are going to the Jams festival to celebrate our second place win in the finals. Each member gets to bring one person and I was wondering if you wanted to come." The Jams festival was like the cross between a music festival and a jam cellar where people offered up their homemade jams to be tasted and sold. Some even enter into a competition to see who's jam is the most tasty.

It sounded really fun to Ty.

"Sure! When is it?"

"Tomorrow. We meet here and leave on a bus at 8am." Naomi said happily but Ty frowned. He'd wanted to meet up with Kid Rot tomorrow since he'd skipped out last weekend, wanting more time to himself before seeing Kid again. He bit his lip and tapped the table nervously.

"I don't think I'll be able to make it. I had plans tomorrow." Naomi's face reflected her disappointment. "I mean, I might be able to meet up later on at the jam show but I have something to do."

"No, it's alright Ty. I understand, really." Her smile had returned and she patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It was a last minute invitation. Besides, I can always invite one of my other friends." She shrugged. "Onto other topics, how has Abby been?"

"She's been good. She's been having more fun in her personal time in the hopes of not over stressing herself again." Ty explained as he took a spoonful of macaroni. Naomi nodded to him with a smile as she bit into her sandwich.

"Oh, I'm so happy for her in that case. She just overworks herself sometimes and-" She stopped with a choked noise as a disgusted expression suddenly came over her face. Ty would have been confused by her face if the mac and cheese in his mouth hadn't suddenly gotten an awful taste and texture. The two spat out their food, Ty back onto the plate while Naomi used a napkin to be more discrete. "Eeew..." She whined quietly. Her sandwich along with Ty's plate of food had blotches of black and green and smelled awful. "It's rotten? How'd that happen?" She mused as she tossed both plates into the trash can next to her. "Oh, well. I wasn't that hungry anyway. But that was still weird, right Ty?" She glanced up at Ty but he was fixed on staring at the spot where his plate use to be.

"Ty?"

Her call caused him to look up quickly with a face that was both angry but also almost scared. "Ty, what's wrong?"

"I...I have to go." He stood up, looking around frantically for someone. At first he saw nothing but other students, talking and eating. No one stood out amongst the crowd but Kid Rot was good at hiding. Ty glared before he turned to Naomi. "I need to go meet with someone, okay? I'm sorry to cut this lunch short but I'll message you later so we can talk more. Bye Naomi." He gave Naomi a quick hug that she returned and he left.

"Bye Ty."

Ty ran out of the lunchroom and down the halls, glancing in all directions to see if he could get a hint of where Kid was. When he couldn't find anything, he decided to head out into the court yard to look from there. As he walked out, he looked back at the school and didn't seen anyone really. The students right now would be out here eating but due to the heat of spring leading into summer, most were inside or in class. He faced the school fully and backed up, looking the school up and down to see for any signs of something, until he bumped into someone. Jumping away with a quick "Sorry!", he turned to see Kid Rot.

" _You!_ " Kid nodded.

"Yeah, me." He sounded as annoyed as he looked.

"What the hell was that back there? Why did you rot our food?"

Kid at first looked like he was going to snap back at Ty but paused for a moment, thinking it over. Instead of arguing, he rubbed his arm and shrugged.

"Old habits die hard, I guess."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, the rotting powers in the beginning would activate when Chester was upset or experiencing intense negative emotions. So, when I took over, the same would happen with me. I would rot things when I was upset or angry and I don't exactly have the best temper."

"What got you so angry? I don't understand!" Ty almost shouted. He didn't mean to but he was just really upset about what had happened. The one good thing was that Naomi didn't freak out like the first time Kid Rot rotted her food way back when Chester first arrived here.

Kid looked around, trying to avoid Ty's gaze.

"I-"

"Kid, look at me." Kid did so and there was a small pause between the two. "You what?"

"I didn't like seeing you with your ex. I don't know, how she kept touching your hand and shoulder just really..." He trailed off, grinding his teeth and shutting his eyes, the grass immediately around him dying out and slowly spreading until he took a deep breath. When he looked up at, he looked remorseful. "I've been trying to control my temper but I haven't completely got it under control yet."

"Kid, you really scared me and weirded my friend out. You have to get that under control." Kid nodded, "And stop stalking me. It's weirding me out that you can see what I do, even if it's something small."

At this, Kid let out a noise that sounded like a strangled whine, causing Ty to look very concerned.

" _Uh_..."

"I can't just stop following you around. I need to do it. It lets me know what you're doing and that you're alright especially since you didn't show up last weekend which worried me and then I saw you with your ex and..." He was stopped by Ty grabbing his shoulder to calm him down. While Kid had started going into his tangent, the ground around him began to decay again, now turning the dead grass into utter mush and slime. Very disgusting.

"Let's go talk somewhere in private where there's nothing for you to rot. Okay?" Kid agreed and the two left the school, Ty deciding that talking with Kid was more important at the moment than going to his next class. The two decided to talk in a storage room for the various sports teams equipment. It was more like a shed honestly, separated from the school and filled with all kinds of things for the teams. Inside it had metal walls and a concrete floor, nothing for Kid to affect.

Once inside, Ty closed the door behind himself and flicked on the dim light inside. "They should consider changing the light in here. I feel like that bulb gets weaker and weaker every time I see it."

"You come here often?"

"Yeah. In gym class, I come here to get the balls for dodgeball and sometimes to get things for Abby when she stays late for practice." Ty shrugged before the two fell into silence again.

"Why didn't you met me this weekend?" Kid asked quietly, his expression blank as he spoke.

"I needed some time alone to think. After our last meeting, I was really unsure of what to do next." Kid thought over what he said before nodding.

"I thought you'd lost interest which...upset me a lot. I followed you again and considered that maybe you just needed space but then I saw you talking with her, Naomi and I just got really angry." As he said this last part, his powers seemed to flare up again but there was nothing around him that was organic. When he calmed down, he sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry."

"It's...I accept the apology. But Kid, I just don't know what to do. I can't get past what you've done and it's still bothering me. I want to try out something with you but at the same time..." Tyler gripped his temple due to a throbbing pain. "This is messing with me Kid. I haven't been this stressed out about anything in a **long** time!"

The parasite looked unsure and concerned, at a loss of what to do.

"Well, you're a logical person. What do you usually do when you're conflicted over something?" Kid asked.

"I…I usually debate over it and see which decision would result in the best outcome, best of course being subjective to the circumstances at hand." Ty said.

"So just do that. Weigh the pros against the cons and list your options but do it out loud and see if you can decide on what to do."

The grossolgist bit his lip. Rubbing his arm, he looked down in a shy manner.

"I don't know if I feel comfortable doing it in front of you." He admitted.

"Why?"

"Because it's not like everything I'm going to say is going to be good!"

"So? Just be open with me! Hiding things and keeping secrets is what destroyed your last relationship, isn't it?" Ty was taken aback by Kids words, not because he was wrong but because it stung to hear it. "Do you want to repeat your mistakes again?"

The light bulb above the two flickered with a soft buzzing noise, both teens wondering for a second if it would go out. But it didn't and the flickering stopped.

"Ty, I already know your business secret of working with the Bureau of Grossolgy and I know a lot about your personal life too. So just tell me what's bothering you, what're you afraid of with this relationship and what do you want from it?"

"I-" Ty was choked up, a lump on his throat choking him off and threatening to spill out in one action.. For the past weeks ever since this all started, he'd been dealing with so many emotions alone, unable to confide in anyone because of the secrecy. Maybe Kid was right that talking about it would help, or at least allow him to come to a final decision.

He took a deep breath and got his voice back.

"The pros and cons. Okay. Well, first pros. You're actually getting better which is odd since with Abby you only got worse and tried to make her bend in your direction but now you're bending at my requests and it's weird but I'm sure you have your reasonings."

"Uh, yeah, I want to be happy with my partner and them happy with me. You know, the basics of a relationship. Or a good one anyway."

"Yeah, yeah. Another pro is you're-you're interesting. I don't know why but you've caught my interest, romantically and just in general. I want to satisfy my deep curiosity as well as enjoy what could possibly be a new and nice relationship, even if it's in secret."

Kid laughed quietly.

"I'm interesting, huh?"

Ty felt his face heating up.

"You know what I mean! I'm a curious person by nature and I just…well, I wanna see what you're like when you're not in a murderous rage or being all creepy and rape-y." Ty shuddered at the memory of Kid trying to force physical affection onto Abby. Kid visibly winced too

"Yeeeaaaah, that's on the long list of my regrets." Kid said, looking down in remorse. "Poor Abby. I hope I didn't leave any mental scars."

"That's it, another pro! Remorse, you're showing remorse. Maybe not for everything but for some things and it's a good sign. It in a way comforts and assures me that you're getting better. Hmm…" He trailed off as he thought of anymore pros.

"I suppose the final pro is that you've stopped killing people. A major relief for the Bureau to finally have the issue that is you solved, even if in their eyes you've just disappeared."

"You can be sure that I won't be causing your Bureau issues anymore at your request." Kid said. Ty smiled at that but slowly his smile dipped into a sad frown and he rubbed his arm.

"But that doesn't mean you haven't caused trouble before or that you haven't killed anyone." Kids smile dropped too.

"Yeah, what I've done is still there."

"Kid, that is the biggest and for now the only con I care about. You've killed people and I just don't know how to properly deal with it." The two fell into silence, neither knowing what to say next. Then like a small light bulb going off, Ty perked up with a serious look on his face. "How many people have you killed?"

Kid raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Uuuh, five. Why?"

"Do you remember their names?"

"No."

"If I were to show you a missing person paper with their faces on it, would you recognize them?"

"Yes."

"Good." Ty said, a smile returning to his face but with a look of determination mixed in.

"I like that look on you." Kid said with an appreciative smile. "So I'm guessing you've decided what to do. What did you decide on?"

"I'm calling the police." Ty said.

" _ **What?!**_ "

The light bulb in the shed went out.

* * *

 **Authors Notes:** Yay! So I was able to finish this chapter a lot sooner than I expected _and_ was able to get over the obstacle given in the last chapter. As best as I could anyways. Mmmm, I'm still having fun this story and I hope you all are too. I'm going to respond to two reviews I got that were both not accounts so I could not respond privately. Hope you two don't mind.

To StarSweep, I'm so glad my response to you made you so happy as did the chapter. It's alright about not having an account as I don't mind responding to you like this. And also, any review is welcome even if it simply states that you like my story so no need to worry there. :) I'm happy to hear you're enjoying my story and I will keep up with working on it for as long as I can lol hopefully until it's finished.

To Guest, you're very welcome! I'm happy to be writing this and I'm glad you're enjoying it. :D

Anyways, hope anyone that reads this enjoys it!


	5. Partial Redemption?

"You-You're going to do **_what?_** " Kid asked again, his voice tight with fear and rising anger. Ty looked around in the darkness, quickly feeling around for where Kid was.

"No, wait, before you freak out, just listen. I'm not calling to turn you in or anything." Finally, he found Kid and felt until he had his hands placed on his shoulders.

"So, why are you calling them then?"

"I'm going to report what became of those missing people to the police. Those people's families at least deserve to know what happened to their lost loved ones. Do you have a place that you would bury what you couldn't rot away, like their bones?"

"Yes."

"Good. You're going to take me there so I can collect the remains and then I'm going to have you look through the online lists of missing people so I can figure out exactly who you've killed."

"Alright. I'll have to look around to find the exact place where I buried the remains."

"Great! Let's go!" Ty turned and walked to the door before he threw it open. "Wha-! Abby!"

Abby had been just about to reach the shed when Ty opened the door. She had a curious look in place. "Ooh, Ty. So, you were in here."

"What?" Ty said, a cold sweat forming. "You-You knew I was in here?"

"Well, not for sure. I asked Naomi if she'd seen you and she said yeah and that you were outside talking to someone but then the two of you left into this shed." Abby explained, a hand on her hip and a teasing look in place.

"How did she know?" Ty asked, puzzled.

"She said she'd looked out the school window when she saw you and she watched you till you left."

"Oh." Ty mentally cursed himself for not realizing that Naomi could have seen him. Luckily she didn't mention to Abby if she'd seen who Ty was talking with.

"Yeah." Abby said playfully before poking Ty. "So who were in the shed with and -gasp- _in the dark even_! Ooh, you're so bad Ty."

"What? No! Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong." Ty said sternly but Abby only laughed.

"So who is it?"

"Nobody. I was talking to a friend and then I came in here by myself to get something. To…see if the light bulb needs replacing! Which it does." Ty gestured to the now dark shed.

"Hmm, I see. So then you won't mind if I look inside."

"No!" Ty tried to grab her arm but she quickly avoided him and went into the shed giggling.

" _Helloooo_ , possible love interest for my brother? Where are _youuuu_."

Ty stood with his arms crossed, looking annoyed but honestly he was really nervous. What would Abby say if she found Kid? He didn't have long to think it over before she emerged, looking surprised.

"Huh, I guess you were alone."

Ty felt his entire body relax, almost falling because of it.

"Yeah, see? Now, could you please go get a light bulb from the supply closet in the gym and I'll stay here to remove this one."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

"Okay." Ty waited till she was a good distance away to rush back into the shed. "Kid?" He called. At first there was a silence until Kid peeked out from his hiding spot in a crate full of different sports balls, several of which fell to the ground when he popped up.

"Well, _that_ was close." Kid said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, good thinking hiding there." Ty agreed. "C'mon, now would be a good time for you to go. The supply closet isn't that far away."

Kid left quickly, dashing out before Ty could say anything else.

"Uh, see you later." Ty said quietly to himself in a confused tone before he smiled. He appreciated the relief at figuring out some way to amend for the wrongs Kid had done. After another moment, he pulled up a folded metal chair and flicked off the light switch so he could remove the dead bulb. Just in time since Abby arrived almost as soon as he was done.

* * *

Later on, back at home, Ty and Abby relaxed on the couch together while Ty messaged Naomi.

"So what did you and Naomi talk about?"

"Nothing much." Ty shrugged. "We just caught up. She was mostly worried because I had been falling asleep in class for the past few weeks and she thought there was a reason for it."

"Was it for a reason?" Abby asked with narrowed eyes.

"No." Ty shook his head. "It's just video games and TV keeping me up. But don't' worry, I'm putting a stop to it."

"Alright." Abby said, taking a sip of some water. "You better or else your grades will sink."

"Mmhm. Oh yeah, she also invited me to a Jam festival but I couldn't go because it's tomorrow and I have plans."

"Oh! I'd like to go!" Abby jumped up, looking excited. "Do you think she'd mind if I went in your place?" Ty shrugged unsure but pleased with the idea. Naomi and Abby didn't normally talk so now could be a good time for them to actually hang out together.

"I don't know but I'll ask her to see."

"Whoo! I love music and sweet jam tasting. Plus I'll get to have some genuine talk with Naomi that's not about _you_."

"Oh _ha ha_. Very funny." Ty said sarcastically. "Hopefully you'll have a good time if she says yes."

 _Ding!_

"Speaking of which, she said...yes! Tomorrow at 8am which is when the bus leaves the school." Ty instructed.

"Great! I'm going to go pick out what outfit I should wear. Hmm I want to wear something that's fun colored but still casual and has a summer feel to it." Abby mused to herself while Ty sat beside her confused. When she looked at him for input, he shook his head and shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I don't really care much about dressing for occasions, as long as what you're wearing is clean."

"You're right. I'm going to ask mom to see if she has any suggestions. Tell Naomi I'll be there tomorrow!" And with that, the girl was gone, heading to her room upstairs. Ty watched her go before he leaned back and turned on the T.V.

He decided to relax for another hour and a half before leaving to the gag lab. Once there, he was greeted with by the sharp smell of chemicals and shampoo.

"Uh, Lab Rat?" The grossologist called, his friend emerging from the restroom soon after.

"Oh hey Ty, what's up?" He was accompanied by a dripping Hermes and a lot of soap bubbles.

"What's with all the, ya know, bubbles and soap and the clean smell? Did something happen?" Ty asked as he popped a couple of bubbles that came his way. The second one, unfortunately, popped too close to his face and he got some soap in his eye.

"Well, nothing really. I just took Hermes for a walk and then he ran off into a _dumpster_!" As he said the last word, he gave a pointed look to Hermes but the rat only responded by giving his owner a few soft nibbles on the face. "Ah, well, thank you Hermes but I have already cleaned myself." He cleared his throat and looked at Ty. "So yeah, sorry about that but I was just cleaning us both up. What did you come here for?"

Ty was about to respond when Lab Rat held up his hand to stop him. "Wait, let me guess, Abby's not here so you're...going to search in the forest for Kid Rot?" Ty cocked his head to the side, confused and surprised.

"Uh, yeah? How did you know?"

"Well, the last time you came here without Abby, that's what you wanted to do and the issue of Kid Rot still hasn't been solved so I took a guess." Lab Rat shrugged and handed Ty the keys to the GRS-1. "Be safe man. Oh, also, ever since this whole Kid Rot thing started up again, I've added an upgrade to the goop shooters. I made the goop you shoot non organic so now it should do better to capture him."

"Oh." Ty looked at his goop shooter before smiling. "Okay. Thanks Lab Rat. You're inventing skills never cease to amaze me."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm great, I know." Lab Rat said with a laugh as he leaned back in his chair. "Let me know if it works if you use it."

Ty walked briskly through the forest, searching for Kid. "Kid!" He called out, looking around. He had his goop shooter in hand and was very excited to see if Lab Rats new goop worked. "Kid!" He called again and this time saw Kid approaching from farther into the forest.

When Ty caught sight of him, he broke into a sprint and yelled "Hey Kid, look!" before he aimed and shot at the parasite. Kid stopped running and held up his hand to rot the goop. The noise that escaped him when the goop didn't rot and instead hit him hard enough to send him to the ground was something akin to an animal cry of some sort. Ty couldn't help but laugh as he walked over to help.

" _Grrrr_ , _**what is this**_?!" Kid Rot shouted, his hands successfully trapped together and stuck to his abdomen due to the goop. When Ty stood over him smiling, he glared. "If this is your way of betraying me, **_I swear to god, I'll_** -!"

"No, I'm not betraying you." Ty said, the last of his laughter dying down as he kneeled to help free Kid. "Lab Rat made this new type of goo to catch you easily and I just wanted to see if it worked well. Results are in and it did." With effort from both of them, Ty was able to pull the goop off. "Nice." he said, admiring the improved strength of the weapon.

Kid did not look amused though.

"Oh, don't be so butt-hurt about it. Besides, it's also payback for scaring me." He said, helping Kid up. The parasite brushed himself off and crossed his arms.

"I **will** be getting you back for that." Kid threatened, pointing his finger close to Ty's face before he got swatted away. "C'mon, let's go. I want to get this done as fast as possible."

"Why? Scared I'm going to change my mind and sic the police on you?" Ty ask, jokingly, but Kid shook his head.

"Not really that. I just don't exactly like that I have to do this. I don't want to give the police evidence of what I've done, but it's making you happy." Kid explained. "So, I'm doing this for you more than for anything else."

Ty had a blank look on before he smiled softly. "Well, thank you for that."

The pair walked for some time, now in a comfortable silence. As they walked on, Ty took notice of how they were going into a much darker and hidden part of the forest, in the opposite direction of where Kids hideout was. The trees and plants became much more abundant and had large patches where they fully blocked out the sun, creating shaded areas that would be good for picnics in the day but pretty unnerving in the dark. With this in mind, Ty glanced nervously at the sun that was close to setting.

"Do you usually roam around here at night?" Ty asked, pulling out his grossemeter. The time read 7:05pm. The sun would definitely be going down soon which meant they only had a limited time to find and dig up the remains.

"Yeah, all the time. I don't sleep that much so I spend nights walking around here and doing other things." Kid said as he looked back at Ty. "Why? Nervous because it might get dark soon?"

"Yes. But my grossology goggles have night vision so I'll be fine if it gets dark."

"Well, if you have any problems, you can always hold my hand." Kid said, reaching his hand back for Ty to take. The grossologist rolled his eyes and handed Kid the wadded up ball of goop he'd been holding.

"Hey, thanks for holding this for me." Ty said with a grin. Kid Rot glared at the ball in his hands which by now had become more like hard rubber. The parasite growled to himself as he began to try and rot the goop again, but to no avail.

Angry at this, he chucked the thing as hard as he could at a nearby tree. The area it hit splintered apart, leaving a hole somewhat resembling the shape of the wad that was now embedded into the tree. Along with that, the remaining rot he'd left on the ball began to eat away at the tree, only destroying it further.

Kid looked pleased at this and continued walking but Ty didn't look so happy as he stared at the dying tree. After a few more moments, the tree had been fully rotted through and collapsed into a puddle of black and brown sludge, the wad disappearing within. The grossologist glared at the puddle before Kid called him over.

"Hey, why are you lagging behind? I'm already at the spot." Ty gave the dark puddle one last look and walked away, making a mental note to discuss Kids temper later.

"This is where you buried them all?"

"Yes sir. Right here." Kid emphasized by stomping his foot on the ground just in front of him.

"How do you usually dig to bury them?" Neither had brought shovels with them so Ty wasn't sure how it was going to happen, though, he had a vague idea from what he's seen the parasite do before.

Just as he'd thought, Kid kneeled down and, by placing his hand on the spot, began to rot away the dirt, causing for a hole to begin forming. Not long after, darkened bones began to become visible and the site made Tys stomach clench. He wasn't squeamish by any means, but he and Abby don't really deal with corpses when it comes to their field of work.

Kid noticed Tys discomfort, glancing between him and the bones that he was grabbing. There wasn't really anything he could say to comfort the other, so, instead, he changed the subject.

"I know this is going to be a really weird question to ask right now but who does the cat in your house belong to?" Ty was rightfully confused by the question.

"Uuuh, it's both mine and Abby's but she likes to play and cuddle with him more. His name is Hairball." The parasite nodded as he grabbed the last of the bones in his arms and walked over to Ty. "Why do you ask? I'd ask how you know that we even own a cat but I already know you've managed to get into my house without my knowing."

"Yup, that's pretty much why. When I would go into your house to drop off my gifts, the cat would usually wake up to greet me with an ever affectionate hiss and swat at me till I left. I usually did it while no one was around so it didn't bother me, but on the rare times that I would be there while you were sleeping, I'd get nervous that you'd wake up or something."

Ty looked at him with an unreadable look before his expression turned back to uncomfortable. "You've been in my house while I sleep?" The parasite nodded, giving a grin.

"Yes I have, multiple times." He confessed,

"But you've stopped ever since we started meeting, right?"

The parasite only furrowed his brows more before averting his gaze and nodding. "Yeah, _of course_. I mean, what kind of person would I be if I didn't stop at that point?"

Ty tried to say something, most likely call Kid out on the blatant lie, but his words got caught in his throat and came out as a very weird noise. Kid started laughing, shaking his head as the two continued to walk back.

"Okay, no, I still do it, even now that we're meeting up."

"Well, you're gonna _stop, **right**_?" Ty pressed, glaring.

"Hmm, yes, I'll stop just because _you_ asked me oh so nicely." Kid said, adding the last sarcastic bit with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, would you fucking like it if someone was watching you sleep when you weren't aware of it?" Ty snapped.

" _Heeey_ , no need to get so angry. I'm going to stop." Ty's glare didn't waver. Kid moved ahead of Ty and turned around to walk backwards as he spoke. "Oh, c'mon Tyler, look, I'm doing something _nice_ for you. _**Don't be angry with me**_." Ty crossed his arms, unmoved. At this, Kid sighed, annoyed, and turned away, the two continuing the walk in silence.

They walked for a good while, Ty just trying to get the idea of Kid watching him in the dead of night when he was deep in sleep out of his mind. He was almost successful until an idea popped up and the teens face began to heat up as he thought of it more.

On several nights, especially recently, he'd wake up in the dead of night, for whatever reason, and discover another part of him to be wide awake too. Every time this happened, he'd have the option to ignore it and go back to sleep or deal with it and make sleep more comfortable. Rarely did he go with the former of the two options and the idea of Kid Rot possibly watching even one of these times happen was just so...he didn't even know how to describe the feeling of horror and something else that it brought from inside of him.

Quickly, he caught up to walk beside Kid, wanting to ask him.

"Um, Kid." The grossologist rubbed his arm nervously.

"What?"

"So, when you would watch me at night, did you ever..." He trailed off, trying to word it without just blatantly asking 'did you watch me masturbate'.

"...Ever? Ever what?" Kid asked, raising an eyebrow at Ty. Before Ty could ask, Kid interrupted him by stating, "If you're going to ask if I've ever masturbated while I watched you, the answer is no. That would be a little too creepy, even for me." Ty was taken aback by this comment but relieved to know that.

"No, that wasn't what I was going to ask, but I'm glad to know that."

"So what were you going to ask?"

"Did you ever... _ugh_ , when you would watch me, did you ever see anything weird?"

"Depends what you mean by weird." Kid said with a shrug. "I mean, I see weird stuff all the time when I'm sneaking around. What specifically are you referring to?"

Ty bit his lip, trying again to find the words. "Have you ever seen me, um, you know, at night, have you seen me...um..." As he fumbled with how to say the actual action, Kid's expression changed from curious to blank.

"Masturbate. Have I seen you masturbate at night?" Ty nodded, rubbing his neck.

"Yeah, that. Have you?"

Kid pressed his lips together and nodded. "Uuuh, yeah, I have." Horrifying. Ty's face turned red as he used his hands to cover it, shaking his head.

" _Oh, **god**_." That's a good way to describe the way he was feeling. "I can't believe you've seen me _do that_!" He pulled away from his face to rake his hands through his hair.

"Awe, you shouldn't be embarrassed, Ty. Masturbation is totally normal, and besides, you make cute faces when you're masturbating." _That didn't help at all_. But Ty decided to stress more about it later. Right now, they had other things to worry about. Soon, they were back at the GRS-1.

The sun had just about set completely, leaving the sky a dark purple with the last of orange fading away. Ty pulled out a bag from the GRS-1, allowing Kid to place the bones inside, before Ty pulled up his Grossometer and called LabRat.

"What's up Ty? Why are you still out so late?"

"I just lost track of time." Ty said with a shrug. LabRat gave a soft thoughtful noise, not looking so convinced, but, after a moment, he shrugged.

"Alright. Abby was asking earlier and would have come to get you but she was busy preparing for some jelly feast she's going to tomorrow."

"Jam Festival." Ty corrected.

"Right." LabRat nodded, rubbing his chin. "Was there something you needed Ty? Or did you just call to check in?"

"I needed something. Could you get me a list of people who have gone missing in this area in the last two years?" The scientist raised an eyebrow in response.

"That's a...a pretty specific request." The scientist pointed out. "Why do you need it?"

"Well," Ty started, trying to think of a believable excuse. "I think I found someone's remains and I need the list to check who it may be." It wasn't a complete lie. He did have someone's remains and had to check who they were.

LabRat looked at Ty with wide eyes, looking very nervous. "You found someone's remains?"

"Yes." Ty nodded grimly. "I found them here while looking through the forest. A piece was sticking out of the ground, I'm guessing due to a rushed burial, and then I found more as I dug in that area."

"Do you think they're victims of Kid Rot?" Another nod from Ty.

"I'm sure of it."

There was silence between the two, LabRat rubbing his face in stress. After taking a deep breath and releasing it through his nose, he asked, "Do you think it's recent or old? Is there any way to even tell?"

Ty glanced up at Kid who mouthed 'old' to him. "Old." He repeated. "I have a feeling that they're old."

"Okay. I'll send you the list right now. It's a good thing you found them."

"Thanks LabRat. I'll give you a report as soon as I find out as much as I can." LabRat nodded back before the connection ended, the grossometer screen now showing a long list of every missing persons from the last two years, each name accompanied by a picture. Ty entered a few key words to specify anyone that's gone missing in this town and soon, it was down to around fifty people.

Kid Rot now moved beside Ty to look at the screen as well. "It's going to be so boring looking through this list." He muttered quietly, earning an eye roll from Ty. "What? It's true."

"It's worrisome."

"What?"

"You're looking through a list to see which five are the ones that you killed! And you think it's boring?" Ty sounded like he couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Well, I'm ether bored or I'm saddened by it. I don't particularly enjoy being sad so I'd rather be bored." Kid explained with a shrug.

"But it is possible for you to feel sad about this?"

Kid looked around, searching for an answer. "Mmm, sure. Sad in the sense that I know you're affected so I feel bad about that." Ty let out a soft sigh.

"I guess that's better than nothing. C'mon, let's get started." Ty was about to hand it over when a particularly cold gust of wind blew through, causing him to shudder. Kid gave an annoyed grumble, showing that he didn't particularly like the chilly night. "Let's look through the list in the GRS-1."

Now inside, the two were seated side by side, only illuminated by the screen of the grossometer. At first, no one was catching Kids eye, no face ringing a bell in his memory as they went down the long list. Finally, after around twenty six people, Kid pointed to a man who looked to be in his late thirties with messy brown hair under a beanie cap and a big grin.

"That's the guy who's place I live in now."

"The one who was hiding out here looking for a cryptid?" Ty asked and Kid nodded. "Okay, Theodore Braket." Ty muttered quietly as he scribbled down the name. "Let's keep looking." The second time, they went looking through only a few when Kid pointed out another, this time a woman, also looking in her mid-thirties. She was tanned with long dark hair that framed her smiling face.

"Janette May Kaiya." Another quick scribble. Soon enough, the next person pointed out was a man in his late fifties, burly, and with a stern look in place. His name was Samson Mager which Ty quickly scribbled down. They only had a few left on the list, around twelve, and Ty was about to start going down the list when Kid cleared his throat.

"The other two aren't going to be on the list." Kid looked uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the other two didn't go missing. I've killed five people but only three of them I've buried. The other two were left at the scene and, from what I think, taken care of by the police." Ty was confused but curious.

"So you went to someone's home and killed them there? Why? Who were they?"

"Johnson Jacobs and Mica Smirkov." Something about the tone in Kids voice made Ty even more curious. The first name didn't ring any bells but the second name did, specifically the woman's last name. Smirkov, Smirkov, he'd heard that name before. But where?

"Smirkov." He repeated quietly. Then finally it came to mind, Ty growing cold all over. "Chester Smirkov. Was that woman Chesters…" He trailed off, already knowing the answer.

"Mother. Yes and the man was his step-father."

"You killed them, but, why?" Kid looked down, now having a bitter expression.

"A mix of reasons, I guess. Chester's step dad was an asshole. He didn't care about Chester at all! He'd use him like a slave around the house and kick him around when he was drunk enough. All he really cared about Chester's mom. And his mom, _grrr!_ " He grit his teeth at the mention of her, showing something more than just bitterness, but still burning anger.

" _She was even worse than him_! Chester was her son, her fucking flesh and blood, and she couldn't be bothered to give him a single sign of affection or give a damn about her husband treating him like garbage! There were no hugs, kisses, or anything! Just cold empty looks and words that meant nothing." Kids hands began to light with rot, causing Ty to back up against the GRS-1 wall as much as he could. Kid noticed and calmed down, leaning back as he let out a sigh.

Ty waited a few minutes before sitting back down normally, looking at Kid to continue. "According to Chester, it wasn't her fault that she was like this and, now, with my mental state in a somewhat better condition, I understand what he meant. She was a broken woman and couldn't bring herself to love a boy that looked just like the man who broke her heart." Ty frowned, starting to piece it together.

"Did Chester's dad leave her and Chester and she ended up taking it out on him?" Kid nodded.

"Despite how she was, she was all Chester had as family, and he loved her. He _begged_ me not to kill her, but I didn't listen. I couldn't, not just because emotionally, I didn't care but because if I was going to get away and work on my powers, I needed to erase any links Chester had, including his home and family."

Silence filled the GRS-1 for a moment before gently, Tyler asked a similar question to one he'd asked earlier.

"Do you regret killing her?"

Kid paused, taking in a deep breath before nodding. "Yes, I think she's the only one I regret killing and she's the one that went more peacefully than the others, or at least not as violently." Ty smiled, happy to know Kid regretted at least one killing and to see such a personal side of Kid that he didn't know he had. But it also created more questions, _important_ questions.

"Kid," he started, his voice so soft, it was almost a whisper, the parasite looking at him. "Is...is Chester still alive? Trapped inside you, with you, is he still there?" Kid thought about it, looking to his side and nervously tapping the seat they were in before he opened his mouth to speak. Just then-

" _ **Ty!**_ " Ty cried out while Kid jumped, hitting his head on the roof of the GRS-1 window and leaving a large crack in the wind shield glass there. The parasite rubbed his head, gritting his teeth, while Ty stared in shock before pulling up his Grossometer and facing it away from Kid, only showing himself. It was Abby on the other end.

"What is it? You scared the shit out of me!" Ty said, holding his chest with his hand to drive his point.

"Well, I'm sorry, but why are you out so late? You have me worried! Lab Rat told me you checked in to inform that you've discovered someone's remains?!" She was talking so fast, her face pale and eyes wide.

"Yes, I found three to be exact."

"Oh _god._ " She covered her mouth, looking away in sorrow. "Those poor people."

Ty nodded, a grim expression on. "I know, I know. But now they'll have closer, It's good that I found them."

"Yes, it is! And maybe this'll help up find that _monster_ and put him away! **_Forever_**!" She emphasized the last part by punching her hand into her open palm. "And I'll be the one to do it." Ty cleared his throat, feeling nervousness deep in his stomach.

"Y-yeah. One day, I'm sure we'll do that." Abby calmed down, looking less angry and more tired.

"Please come home already Ty. It's late and mom and dad are worried. I told them you were at Andy's and they want you home too." Ty nodded.

"I'll be home soon. Don't worry. I love you." He and Abby usually didn't say that often but Ty couldn't help but say it now, feeling more appreciative of Abby and how much she cared about him. She was taken aback at first before smiling softly.

"I love you too, little brother. See you when you get here." With that, the connection ended and the screen turned off, leaving the too in darkness. Ty was still thinking over his nervousness and the happy feeling he got saying he loved his sister until he was reminded of Kid's accident earlier by the parasites soft groaning.

" **Fuck, that hurt**!" The parasite cursed, gently rubbing his head. Ty stood on his knees on the seat to look atop Kids head where some blood could be seen starting to discolor his blonde hair. It was an odd color though, darker than the usual deep crimson. The grossologist reached into the back and pulled out a first aid kid, rarely used, but in good condition. He pulled out a big band-aid and tried to hand it to Kid but he waved his hand as a dismissal.

"Don't need that. It'll heal up on its own soon. It just really **fucking stings** right now."

"I think we have some medication to help with that here." Ty said and began to look around in the white box, eventually coming upon some medical ointment that said it would prevent infection in wounds. He handed Kid the tube of medicine and looked up at the crack above them. "That is going to be such a bitch for me to explain." He lamented.

"Why not just say a bird hit you or something like that?" Kid suggested as he put on the medication.

Ty frowned, thinking it over, before nodding. "Yeah, I'll probably go with something like that. Is your head okay now?" Kid nodded.

"Yeah, it's better. Thanks." Ty smiled and leaned forward to take the medication back. Just as he did, Kid Rot leaned forward too, but to try and steal a kiss. The grossologist was startled and stopped him just in time by placing his hand between them, palm facing and gripping the parasites face tightly.

" _What're you doing_?!" The grossologist asked in a whisper, almost a hiss. Kid laughed, despite it being muffled by Ty's hand. He pulled away and gave a dirty smile.

"I thought I could sneak a kiss in when you weren't expecting."

"What?!" Ty asked, in disbelief. " _No!_ This is not the time for that!"

The parasite began to get closer. "Awe, c'mon. Not even a little? You don't want a kiss?" He licked his teeth as he smiled and Ty got a chill, the lust in the parasites eyes only being seen last when he would make unwanted advances on Abby. Suddenly, he felt very cornered, almost suffocated and under attack.

" ** _No!_** " The grossologist cried out, slamming his hand on the button that opened up the GRS-1. He leapt out in an instant and stood, his breathing heavy from the intense fear he felt for a moment. Kid stared from where he still sat, looking surprised.

"Whoa there, I wasn't going to force you or anything." Kid said, almost resentfully. Ty frowned, slowly calming down his racing heart.

"Sorry, you just, you really scared me. I..." He trailed off. His hands were even shaking and he clenched them to try and make them stop.

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have done that. I don't think you trust me enough yet for me to be doing that." Kid Rot said as he got out, quickly going over to Ty. "I'm sorry I scared you so much. For once, it was not my intention to do so." He, as gently as he could, took Ty's clenched fists into his hands, feeling that they were still shaking. It took a moment, but Ty smiled back at Kid, his hands ceasing their movement. "How about just a hug? Would that be okay?"

Ty thought it over before nodding slowly. "Yes, I guess that would be good for now." Cautiously, he moved closer to Kid and the two hugged. It was stiff at first, as expected, but Ty eventually relaxed into it, leaning head onto Kids shoulder. "This is nice." He though aloud, causing Kid to laugh.

"I think so too." After another minute, the two parted and Ty left in the GRS-1, Kid Rot watching him till he flew off.

* * *

When Ty arrived back at the gag lab, he gave Lab Rat the bag of remains to hold onto until tomorrow and left home, bidding his friend goodnight as he left to change into his civilian clothes. At home, he was greeted by his parents and Abby, the pair looking angry. "Um..." He started but was cut off by his mom raising her hand.

"What time is it?" She asked. He looked to his watch.

"12?" He said, unsure.

"Exactly! Why were you out so late without telling us? We had to find out from your sister!" His mother continued.

"Do you have an excuse for yourself?" Harvey asked, a stern look in place. Ty, on a regular day, would have argued, or at least tried to give some kind of defending statement for himself, but not today. He recalled what Kid Rot said about Chesters mother, how she didn't really care for him, and he felt grateful to have both parents that loved him enough to become upset when he was out too late.

"I," He started quietly, looking to Abby, who looked upset for him. "I'm sorry I worried you guys, I really am. I just lost track of time. But I won't let it happen again, I promise." His parents remained unmoved, for a moment, before relaxing.

"Well, good. Just don't stay out too late without telling us." His dad said. "Now go to bed." Ty nodded but, instead of going straight up, he walked forward and pulled his parents into a hug, or tried to anyway. Both were surprised, but Petunia quickly returned it, petting her sons head.

"Oh, sweetie, we're not still upset or anything. You don't need to hug us." Petunia informed gently.

Ty pulled away, somewhat surprised by the comment. "I know. It's just, well, my friend and I were talking earlier about parents and I just kind of realized that I really appreciate having you two around."

His mom smiled happy, her lip even quivering a little, as she pulled Tyler back into a hug. " _Oooh, my baby_. I love you. You too Abby, come here." Abby looked somewhat confused but hugged her mom anyway, smiling as she did. Harvey affectionately ruffled Ty's hair.

"I love you both too. Now, goodnight. Abby, from what I hear, has something to wake up early for tomorrow." The two siblings nodded and headed upstairs to their rooms.

As Ty walked into his, Abby stood in the doorway, a suspicious look in place. "What?" Ty asked.

"Okay, what's up with you today? You told me you loved me and now this sappy speech to mom and dad? Are you trying to get something from them?" Abby inquired, almost accused, narrowing her eyes.

" _No!_ " Ty snapped back. "It's all true." He was almost hurt by his sister thinking this was just to get something but at hearing that it was true, she looked more concerned. "I just, I don't know Abby. I guess seeing those remains today put me in a sensitive mood." He looked up at her as she sat beside him. "You know?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry." She hugged him gently. "I'll let you sleep now since I have a jam festival to go to tomorrow. Goodnight Ty."

"Goodnight." He said and she left, allowing him to get comfortable himself and drift off into some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** **I'm sorry this chapter took so long to upload. Life has been very busy and it's only going to get busier so I don't know when the next update will be.**

 **I really enjoyed writing the ending though, despite it being all sappy. I love writing those kinds of things and enjoyed this chapter over all.**

 **To StarSweep, Guest, and Josh, I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far and I hope this new chapter is to your liking. ;v; Thank you for leaving reviews behind, they are very appreciated.**

 **Till next time. :D**


	6. Seeds of Doubt

The next day was busy, to say the least. Abby left early in the morning to the jam festival, dressed nicely in blue jeans and a dark maroon tube top with a yellow top over it. Due to Abby being busy, Ty helped LabRat with the remains and the police, answering most of the questions and trying to let his friend rest. LabRat had stayed up most of the night scanning the remains and running all kinds of tests to see if the info Ty had given him had matched. Now he was just tired.

While talking with the police, the two got a chance to talk with the Detective as well. Although he was usually happy to see the Grossologist, today he greeted them with a solemn expression.

"So, you're the one that found the remains?" The Detective asked Ty who nodded.

"Yes sir. I went out to search for Kid Rot on my own or for any evidence of where he could be and I found these remains." The Detective nodded before gesturing to a room near the back of the police station they were at.

"If you don't mind, I need to ask you a few more questions before I let you two go." The two nodded but as LabRat stood up to follow, the Detective stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I need to ask you two questions _separately_." LabRat and Ty exchanged a look before LabRat sat back down and Ty followed by himself.

He wasn't scared of the Detective or his questions or anything like that, it was just a little weird. Usually he and Abby or LabRat would answer questions together on a situation but he supposed that this was different since it involved the death of people and not just a gross situation.

Once inside the room, he did a quick scan of the small room. It almost reminded him of an interrogation room but a little smaller and less intimidating. The Detective sat on one side of a desk before gesturing for Ty to sit down in a chair on the other side.

"Take a seat. These questions are just one's that are required for me to fill out some papers." He said, pulling out a clipboard and pen. "We'd usually have somebody else do this while I go and to some other work but the intern is out today and everyone else is just busy." Ty smiled before shrugging.

"Eh, I don't mind it being you. We usually talk with you when it comes to our missions, anyway." The Detective nodded with a soft smile before filling out a few more things on the papers he had. The room was filled with silence, except for the soft scribbling noises from the Detective. Finally, he put the pen down before speaking.

"Okay, so you found these remains while investigating the forest, correct?"

"Yes."

"Why were you investigating the forest in the first place?"

Ty took a moment to answer as he collected his thoughts. "Abby found evidence of Kid Rot around the house when she found a rotten rose so she asked that we look for him. Since she was busy yesterday, I decided to go and investigate again but on my own."

The Detective jotted down some information.

"Alright. And exactly where in the forest did you find these remains?"

"Somewhere near the back of it, deep inside. Kind of where a lot of trees create shade and canopies." The Detective jotted down again.

"Okay. This question may be a little tricky. You gave a lot of accurate info on who the remains belonged to, right?"

"Yes sir."

"How did you know who they belonged to with such accuracy and sureness?" At this, the Detective looked up from the clipboard and narrowed his eyes at Ty. Something in his face looked concerned and suspicious. Ty tried not to let it show but that stare and tone from the Detective was now making him nervous.

"Uh..." He trailed off, his tongue getting stuck in his throat for a moment as he tried to come up with an answer. "...I figured it out due to the list LabRat provided me with and some other physical remains that were still on the bones."

"Such as?" The Detective pushed, not writing anything down yet.

"Such as..." Fuck. He hadn't thought about this question. _Fuck!_

"I can't provide an example right now. I'm sorry." Well, that wasn't the answer he was hoping for but it was the best one he could provide.

The Detective stared at him for a moment, his eyes still narrowed, and then wrote something else down.

"Alright. We're done here for the moment. Please call LabRat in when you leave." Ty nodded and left quickly. He waited until he was seated beside LabRat to let out a breath he'd been holding.

LabRat gave him a confused look but decided to ask later as he walked to the room his friend had just come out of. Inside, he sat in the same chair Ty had been in and leaned on the desk.

"Hey Detective. What're the questions you wanted to ask? I'll try to answer them as fast as possible because I'm pretty tired."

"Yes, I can tell from the dark circles under your eyes. You should take a good nap when we're done here, let yourself rest for a little bit." The Detective said with a smile before he leaned back in his chair, holding his hands in from of him in a contemplating manner. "The questions I have for you will require your full attention for now."

"Alright." LabRat said, sitting up. He glanced down and noticed the turned over clipboard. "Are you going to write down my answers?"

"No. The questions I have for you aren't like the questions I had for Ty. These are more...personal? In a way, at least, and I don't need to document this part since it's out of choice that I'm doing this."

"Oh." LabRat answered, his tiredness put aside as he got a somewhat nervous feeling. "Well, what're the questions?"

"First is a request from myself. I ask that you _do not_ speak of what we discuss in here to Ty." Oh, that wasn't good to hear. It was putting LabRat on edge. He nodded solemnly.

"Great. Now, have you noticed anything strange about Ty lately? Anything at all that's been unusual?" LabRat thought it over for a moment. Ty had been going to the forest more often but he'd thought it was because he was just worried about the Kid Rot situation and wanted to get the villain found as soon as possible. Was that fact even worth mentioning?

"Well, I mean, he has been going to the forest often by himself but it's because Abby's busy a lot and I think he's just as worried about Kid Rot being out and about as much as we are." Lab Rat answered, crossing his arms and leaning back.

The Detective gave a soft hum before nodding. "Alright. And does he often stay out when looking for Kid Rot? As in does he stay out late without checking in?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes." Another nod.

"Has he found any evidence of Kid Rot other than these remains?"

"No, not that he's reported in."

"So, there's been no more of the rotten roses or things around the Archer's house?"

"No. Look, Detective, what are these questions for? These seem like something you would ask Ty, not me." Lab Rat asked, still nervous and curious as to why questions like this had to be kept from Ty.

The Detective scratched his chin and sighed, standing up.

"Look, I know he's your friend, but I'm going to be honest with you. I think he's lying about something."

"What?" LabRat asked, shocked to hear this. "Lying about what? What would he lie about and why would he even need to lie?" His voice rose as he asked and the Detective quickly raised his hands.

"Hey, hey, calm down LabRat." LabRat glared before sighing and sitting down. He didn't exactly appreciate the accusation on his friend. "I'm a detective; it's my job to keep an eye on everyone involved in the situation and that includes anyone that turns in evidence. Tyler is giving signs that something else is up or that he's keeping something to himself and I just wanted to ask you some questions to see if he'd been acting strange elsewhere."

"Okay. Sorry I just...why would Ty lie?" The Detective shrugged.

"It beats me. You all are good kids so I'm surprised by this as much as you are and I worry that it might be because Ty is in some kind of trouble." LabRat thought it over, looking down in thought. "If not that, then your guess is as good as mine."

After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. I understand."

"Good. Now, we're done with the questions but I need a favor to ask of you." He looked up at the Detective with a raised eyebrow.

"And what is that?"

"I need you to keep a close eye on Tyler from here until further notice and if you notice anything strange or unusual, please report back to me about it." LabRat let out a shaky breath. He didn't want to _spy_ on his friend like this but if the Detective needed it to happen, then he had to do it. It was just to make sure Ty wasn't in any trouble or anything.

"Okay, I will. Can I talk to Abby about this?"

"Hmm." The Detective thought a moment, rubbing his chin. "Yes, but please inform her to keep it quiet from Ty as well. If he finds out about my suspicions, it could cause trouble between you three or with me personally and I don't want Ty to feel attacked or anything." LabRat nodded. "Remember, I'm not here to point fingers at anyone, I just want to get my facts straight and make sure everyone is alright."

"Are you going to talk to the Director about this?"

"Uh..." The Detective gave an exasperated look and glanced away. "I would like too but I don't think he'll handle the idea of one of his agents lying about something well. He might blow it out of proportion or confront Ty himself and I don't think that would turn out well...at all." He gave a soft laugh which caused LabRat to smile.

"You're probably right."

"Yes, but I'll see about talking to him anyway. He should be as informed as the rest of us." The Detective sat back down. "You can go now. Again, try to rest when you get back to your lab." LabRat bid goodbye to the Detective and left, greeting Ty who looked worried.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yes." Ty said, standing up to go. "I just feel like I messed up an answer."

"What do you mean?" LabRat asked, glancing back at the room he'd just come out of.

"I don't know, I just...I couldn't figure out how to answer, I guess. And the Detective was giving me a look and it made me feel like he's suspicious of me."

"I see. Well, I'm sure it's nothing and the questions are over now."

"Yeah, you're right. What did he ask you about?" Ty turned to smile at LabRat as they exited the building. LabRat frowned and looked forward.

"Oh, you know, just the usual questions like 'where were you when he found the evidence' and 'do you have any more information for us'. That type of stuff."

"Ah okay. Well, I'm glad that this part of the investigation is over and those people will have an answer about their missing family members." Ty let out a sigh of relief. "You wanna hang out today man or are you busy?"

"Nah, I'm gonna nap when we get back to the lab. I'm really tired." LabRat yawned to push the point further.

"Okay. I'll just go and do something else today. Maybe visit Abby at the Jam Festival." The two continued walking before Ty smiled and said "Oh, hey, did you ever fix my jet pack?"

"Yeah, man. Why? What's up?" LabRat asked, wondering why Ty seemed so excited about the tool. It had been a while since he even mentioned it.

"I just wanted to use it again, test it out and all. It's been a while since it broke and I could use it for easier transportation." Ty explained, LabRat raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, let me just do a few last-minute checkups to make sure it's okay, okay?" Ty smiled and nodded and the two headed out.

Back in the police station, the Detective was sitting in his office looking over the information he'd jotted down from Ty. The intern he'd spoken about earlier walked in holding a cup of coffee for him. He was young, around the age of Ty and LabRat, with a baseball cap that he always wore.

"Here you go boss." He said, placing the cup on the table. The Detective gave an appreciative smile before taking a sip. "What're you looking over? Is this the case with the Grossologist and Kid Rot?"

"Yeah. I'm just looking over some information that the one who found the remains gave me. I don't know, some things just seem a little off about what he told me. Hmm..." He rubbed his chin in thought before looking up at the intern who was staring at the info intently.

"Hey, Brandon, you don't mind doing some field work, do you?" Brandon perked up at the suggestion, smiling.

"Of course not! Doing paper work gets boring! What do you need me to do?" The Detective smiled before writing down a list of names on a paper.

"Get these officers and go looking in the forest for something, anything, that seems different or unusual. Report back anything you find, okay?"

"Got it, boss!" With that, he left the room quickly, excited to be out and about.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I'm **alive!** I'm sorry that it's taken so long for an update. I've just been super duper busy with my new job and finishing up the summer semester. There should be a small break between the end of summer session and the start of the fall semester so I'll try to write more during that time. I hope you all like this chapter that came out. I'm sorry it's so short but I just felt like this was a good place to end the chapter. Hopefully my next one will be much longer.

 **To StarSweep** , yeah, I also felt like that tbh mostly because of theories from other fanfictions and just because it makes sense to me. I'll try to go deeper into that topic in upcoming chapters. :) Hopefully it'll be good.

Again, thank you all for your reviews. They are always appreciated and I'm glad that so far I'm taking the story in a good direction for both me and my audience. Hope you all enjoy and have a good day!


	7. Adjustments

Ty waited eagerly in the lab, tapping his fingers on the table as he waited for LabRat to finish up his last-minute check up on the jetpack-backpack.

"You almost done, LabRat?" He asked, leaning forward. He'd wanted to watch over his friend's shoulder and see what he was doing but LabRat had requested space, due to the fact he was feeling tired. It confused Ty a little but he didn't want to push the hermit scientist or anything. So, he waited patiently.

Meanwhile, LabRat was hard at work. Though, he **was** checking up that everything in the jetpack was still in good standing, he had also been adding in a tracking device. It would be built in with a gps tracker and a microphone, just in case something were to happen to Ty and he would somehow need help but was unable to call in.

Or, at least, that's what LabRat kept telling himself as he installed the small chip into the device. Finally finished, he closed everything up and handed it to Ty.

"There you go, man. Feel free to test it out right now." Slipping on the jetpack, Ty pressed the activation button on the side and, after a moment of starting up, the thing shot out flames and lifted Ty. Unfortunately, it had been a while since Ty had used the jetpack and he had slight trouble using it again, crashing into the ceiling at first before he gained control, flying in circles around the room.

"Woohoo! Great work LabRat!" Ty praised, landing in front of his friend. "It works just as perfectly as I remember!" LabRat chuckled, admiring his own work.

"Well, thank you Ty. But when I said to try it out, I meant outside!" He looked up at the area where Ty had crashed into. He had crashed into one of the glass drawers that were above the lab but it was made of Plexiglas. All the grossologist had left behind was a crack on it. "It's gonna be a pain fixing that, Ty."

Ty shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, man. I'll make it up to you at some point."

LabRat rolled his eyes good naturedly and shrugged.

"Sure. I mean, I'll probably push off the repair for a while. For now, I'm just gonna catch some Z's."

"Okay. I'll see you later, then. I'm out!" With that said, Tyler again activated the jetpack and flew off outside the lab, rushing through the halls as he headed out. LabRat smiled as his friend flew off, sitting in his chair now. His momentary happiness didn't last long though as he remembered what had been asked of him earlier and what he'd done to the jetpack. He sighed heavily and Hermes appeared, sensing his masters distress.

"Man, Hermes," the scientist lamented to his pet, "I really hope that whatever the Detective is worried about turns out to be nothing." The rat squeaked at him in response before curling up against his neck, the two dozing off soon after.

* * *

Ty, on the other hand, was wide awake and energized as he rocketed through the sky over the city. It had been a long while since he'd been able to fly like this and it felt all that much better after getting through the hardest part, so far, of his situation with Kid Rot.

He flew past the edge of the forest, scanning it for any sign of Kid. He flew lower, allowing him to scan through the trees.

"Kid!" He called out. In about a second, he got a response, but not what he was expecting.

He let out a cry of shock as a small animal flew past him, the specifics of the little critter blurred as it passed, screeching, before falling back down to the ground below. "Hey!" He shouted back, flying down to where the animal had been tossed from.

Kid Rot stood below, smirking as he waited for Ty to land.

"What was that for? That almost knocked me out of the sky!"

"That was for hitting me in the chest with goop! And you're lucky I missed because you're flying a jetpack." Ty rolled his eyes and gave a cocky smirk back.

"Pffft, whatever. You missed because I have great dodging skills and you suck at throwing."

Kid Rot gave an annoyed glare. "Them be fighting words, Ty." Ty's smirked for a little while longer before it gave way as he started laughing, causing Kid to drop the annoyed look and laugh too. "Okay, so, no fighting. How did whatever you did at the police station go?"

"Eh." Ty shrugged, the same feeling of worry coming back from earlier. "It went okay at first with the usual questions and all that but then he gave me this one question that I didn't answer that well and, I don't know..." He trailed off. "I think the Detective suspects me of something now. Like, he might be able to know I'm lying because I messed up with that question."

"Did he push on the question or drop it there?"

"He dropped it." Kid shrugged and waved his hand.

"Then don't worry about it. Even if he does suspect you, if he doesn't look into it, then who cares. Besides, it's not like he has any proof of anything."

Ty nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So, everything else went okay other than you messing up on a question?"

"Yeah, pretty much." At this response, Kid's devilish smirk returned and he moved to get closer to Ty, causing the grossologist to raise an eyebrow in question.

"So, does this mean that now I can have a kiss?" At this, Ty just rolled his eyes with a fake audible sound of annoyance, though it was more just for fun than because he was actually annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know..."

"C'mon, Ty. Last time, I get it. It wasn't the right time or place; I mean I was holding peoples remains in my arms and you were upset. But doesn't now seem best?" Ty just gave him a questioning look, pushing for an explanation.

"Well, we've got that ugly part out of the way, you're not in an enclosed and dark area, and you're in a really good mood because your jetpack was fixed up or whatever." Kid continued, picking up a finger for every reason he listed. Ty nodded, listening.

"Hmm, fine. One kiss but nothing too intense." Ty bit his lip, wondering exactly how the other liked to kiss. "Let's just test the waters for now, okay?" Kid nodded eagerly, his keenness showing as he quickly pulled Ty into a tight hold, pressing the two of them close. Ty was stiff at first, startled by the sudden movement. "Wow...you really want to kiss me, huh?" Another nod from Kid, this one less enthusiastic but his wide smile was still present.

Ty smiled back and relaxed, placing his hands-on Kid's shoulders and leaning forward. He had to admit, he was also eager to see what Kid's kiss would be like. Would it make him feel as nice and warm inside as Naomi's had or would it be fiery and hot? He, honestly, just hoped it wouldn't be horribly gross.

The two were just about to kiss and...

Ty stopped. His face turned to one of confusing and he sniffed at the air lightly.

"What's wrong?" Kid asked. Ty pulled away, frowning as he looked Kid up and down.

"Um, you don't smell very good. I didn't notice earlier but I'm noticing now." Ty wasn't exactly grossed out; he's handled bad smells before. He still didn't like when they came from the people he was romantically interested in. "I mean, I know rot smells and all but, wouldn't that only happen when you use your powers?"

"Yeah." Kid nodded. His expression was a mix of confusion and slight embarrassment, which was a new expression for Ty to see on him.

"So..." Ty trailed off, thinking. "You shower regularly, right?"

"Define regularly."

"Kid," The raven-haired boy took a deep breath. "Please, once a week at least." Ty had his hands together now, hoping for a good answer. Kid's face told him otherwise, the parasite biting his lip and rubbing his hands together nervously.

"Uuuh, more like once or twice every two weeks."

"Kid, that's disgusting!" Ty said, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. But, at the same time, he should have guessed that Kid Rot didn't take the best care of himself while out and about. He wasn't mentally stable for a lot of the time that he was here and Ty wasn't too sure about exactly what resources were readily available to the other. The teen pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, before putting his hands together. "Okay, look, if this," he gestured to the two of them, "is gonna work out, you gotta shower regularly. At least four times a week, okay?" Kid nodded.

"Uh, sure. But the guys place didn't come with a shower, so when I do want to shower, I usually just sneak into people's houses and am in and out before they know it." The look on Ty's face was worried and shocked.

"Did it at least come with a bathroom that you can use?"

"Yeah." Kid nodded. "Thankfully." Kid laughted softly but Ty just shook his head.

"How did that guy live there without a shower?"

"Who knows. Maybe he'd bath in the creek. He was nuts."

"Whatever. Let me check something." With that, Ty stepped away and pulled out his Grossometer. Opening it up, he dialed Abby on it.

Abby was currently enjoying herself at the music festival, listening with Naomi to a local band play a song as the two enjoyed different jelly and jams with crackers. She had just bit into another tasty snack when her Grossometer went off.

"Uuh," She glanced at her bag where she held it before gesturing to Naomi that she had to go. Naomi nodded and turned back to the band, cheering happily. Abby quickly went into one of the port-a-potties and opened up the gadget. "What's up, Ty?"

"Hey Abby, how are you enjoying the festival?" Ty asked with a smile.

"It's great! The jam and jelly are, mostly, delicious and all the bands are cool. I got one to take a picture with me! Isn't that cool!" Abby excitedly told, her joy showing well on her face by her big smile. "Why are you calling, though?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see when you'd come home."

"Why?" At this, Abby narrowed her eyes, looking suspicious.

"I just wanted to maybe watch a movie together later with you or catch up on a TV show." Ty lied, looking away.

"Oh. Sorry Ty but I probably won't be home until, like, midnight. I don't know if you'll want to stay up till then."

"It's okay, we can always hang some other time. I'll probably be asleep by the time you finally come home." Ty shrugged, giving Abby a reassuring smile. "Hope you enjoy the rest of the festival, Abby." She smiled back and hung up the device.

Kid, who'd been listening in on the conversation, raised an eyebrow in question. "What were you checking on that for?"

"I checked to see what time she'd be home so that I can take you to my house to shower and clean up." Ty explained, Kid looking pleasantly surprised.

"And your parents? Are they not home?" Ty shook his head and explained that his dad was currently at work while his mom was at the school doing extra work for some of her classes. "Well, okay. Let's go then." Kid said but paused after a moment. "Wait, so, are you going to be carrying me while flying your jetpack?" Ty nodded with a wide smile on his face.

"Yup! C'mon!" With that, Ty took hold of Kid and activated his jetpack, taking them both into the sky. Kid hugged Ty closely the whole ride, as he'd never actually flown on anything before. He wasn't afraid of heights or anything but he was nervous that he'd fall at some point and didn't want to test if he'd survive the rough landing from that.

When the two did arrive at the Archer's household, Ty did a quick check of it all before allowing Kid Rot inside and leading him to the bathroom.

"Okay so just stay in here and I'll be right back with some clean clothes."

"What's going to happen to my old clothes?" Kid asked, hugging himself. "I really like this jacket." Ty rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to wash them and then they'll be clean too."

With that, Ty left Kid Rot alone in the bathroom and went to search his own room for some clothes. The two seemed to be roughly around the same size, or so Ty guessed, and he grabbed whatever he thought would be comfortable; a gray and black t-shit with some blue sweat pants. As he headed back to the bathroom, he could hear the water now running so he knocked.

"I'm coming in to drop off the clothes." He called.

"Okay." Kid called back and Ty entered, not being able to see Kid through the three layers of shower curtain that they had. He placed the clothes on the sink near the bath tub and picked up the pile of clothes that Kid had left on the floor. He also picked up Kid Rots shoes and considered getting him some new ones as his seemed older and more worn out than he liked.

He thought it over as he set the clothes to wash and came back to the restroom. "Kid." He called from outside the door. "How old are your shoes?"

"Hmm, I'd say about a few years old, like maybe four." Kid answered.

"And they still fit you?!" Ty asked in disbelief. The longest lasting shoes he had were about a year and it was both his constant use of them and he himself out growing them that caused for a need to replace them.

"Yeah. I don't grow that fast, Ty." There was silence between them for some time as Ty just thought more on the matter and listened to the water run, finally coming to the decision that he would buy Kid some new shoes when he got the chance. The size that read on the shoe was a ten.

As he considered what kind of shoes he'd get for Kid Rot, the water stopped and he listened as Kid got dressed.

"Is it okay for me to come in?" He asked after waiting a few moments. The door opened as a response and Kid came out with a towel draped over his shoulders to soak in the water dripping from his hair. His skin looked flushed but he looked a lot calmer than earlier.

The clothes that Ty had picked out for him fit well enough, with the shirt just being a little too short as it would expose his stomach if he lifted his arms. This was more than likely due to their height difference.

"Feel better now that you've showered?" Ty asked, to which Kid made a face and shrugged.

"Eh. Cleaner, yes. Better? Not really but if it makes you happy, then I'm all for it." Ty smiled and leaned close, sniffing the other. The odor from before was gone and now replaced with the cologne like scent from Ty's shampoo.

"Yes, this definitely makes me happier. Now you don't smell like rot or death. C'mon. The clothes will take just little more than thirty minutes to wash so we can just relax in my room till then."

In Ty's room, the two sat on Ty's bed and Ty decided to brush Kid's hair, seeing that when he tried to run his hand through it to see if it was dry, it ran into many more knots than he'd expected.

"How often do you brush your hair?" He asked.

"Not often, I'll have to admit." Kid stated, wincing every now and then as Ty forced the brush through his tangled hair. Ty bit his lip as he tried to get past a particularly stubborn knot, the brush getting stuck for a moment until he was finally able to pull it and the knot free. He cleaned out the brush before going in again.

"So, why is it that you haven't really taken care of yourself before now?"

"I don't know. I just really didn't care. My mind and concern were on other things."

"Like Abby and world domination?" Ty suggested. Kid thought about it before nodding.

"Pretty much." Kid gritted his teeth at another tough knot, this one taking time to actually get pulled free. By the time Ty was done with Kid's hair, well over thirty minutes had passed and a good chunk of hair was now in the trash in the form of many knots. But, now, Ty could freely run his hands through Kid Rots hair without any difficulty.

"See, doesn't that feel better?" He asked and Kid nodded, enjoying the feeling of Ty combing through his hair with his fingers.

"Mmm, yes, it does feel so much better. Keep at it." Ty chuckled and stopped, much to Kid's disappointment.

"I've got to go check on the laundry. I'll be right back."

Ty stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, heading for the laundry room. When he came back after putting the laundry to dry, Kid was curiously looking around the room, mostly looking at the pictures and awards Ty had either on the walls or shelves.

"You've sure got a lot of awards." Kid commented and it was true. Throughout his school life, Ty had excelled in a lot of things, mostly relating to his scientific interest and love of robotics, with some of the pictures and awards dating back to Ty's mid-elementary years.

As Kid Rot's eyes glanced over the pictures Ty had, including some of family and friends and so on, his stare eventually fell on one of him and Naomi. It seemed to have been taken just before a dance of some sort and when the two were still together, as they were both dressed very well; Ty in a button up and slacks and Naomi in a pink summer dress. The two were hugging as they smiled at the camera which was more than likely being held by a parent.

Though he tried not to let it bother him, a low, annoyed groan came from him as he glared at the picture. What was there to be upset about? Nothing, as the two were now separated and it was just a memory from the past. So why did it bother Kid so much? He wasn't sure.

"Kid?" Ty asked, causing the parasite to look away from the photo at him. "Are you okay? The picture doesn't upset you, does it?" Kid Rot didn't want to lie and say no but admitting that the picture bothered him was hard too since he couldn't figure out why just yet.

"Yeah." He said quietly. "It does. Why do you still have it on your desk?"

Ty was confused by the question but after a moment, he got an idea of why Kid would be bothered by this. He thought his answer over before shrugging.

"Well, I mean, even though we aren't together anymore, she still means a lot to me. You know? So, I like to have this photo of us since it was one of our happier moments before the relationship started to go down-hill." Kid Rot nodded, understanding Ty's reasoning but still not being able to get rid of the bothersome feeling. Ty took notice.

"Kid?" He asked and Kid Rot again looked at him. "Are you worried that I'll just leave back to Naomi at some point?" The other didn't answer for some time before just nodding. Ty frowned and moved closer, taking Kid's hand. "Well, I'm not. I don't just switch from person to person at random. I'm not that kind of guy."

Kid was quiet so Ty continued.

"You know how the other day, I had to trust you and tell you about what was bothering me with this relationship? Now you've got to trust me and trust that I _am_ interested in you and won't leave at random just because I talk with my ex or anyone else."

The two stayed in silence for a moment, Kid taking in what Ty said before nodding again and smiling.

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Kid. I know insecurities can really affect certain feelings; I'm insecure too. But you can't let them get into your head and make you angry over things that don't matter. Then you start to make _big_ mistakes that can hurt people." At this, he cupped the others face and smiled.

The two stared into each other's eyes before Ty pulled the other closer and the they finally kissed. And it was, to put it simply, great. The kiss was gentle at first but Ty quickly moved his hands to pull Kid closer, wrapping his arms around Kids neck and shoulder while Kid Rot held him around the waist.

When the two pulled away, Ty was smiling, feeling giddy, while Kid looked to be in a more dreamy state.

"That was...really nice." Ty said and Kid nodded. Ty then pulled his hands away but Kid held on, smirking when Ty gave him a questioning look.

"Since it was so nice, we should do more of it." the blonde said, a suggestive look in his eyes. Ty chuckled but agreed.

"Well, I mean, we _do_ have time since the dryers' cycle just started." The raven-haired teen said as he sat the other down on his bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the University in the city, Petunia Archer had just finished her extra work. She checked on the bugs she had in her lab and classroom before leaving. She rang up her husband as she began to drive home.

"Hey honey," Harvey greeted.

"Hi Harvey. I'm heading home right now and I'll probably start on dinner a little after. Is there anything you were wanting? I'm thinking maybe some pork chops or a casserole? Maybe both but the casserole is more of a side dish?"

The two discussed it and eventually decided on what to have. The commute back was about thirty minutes so Petunia played some tunes on the radio to pass the time.

Once she arrived home, she put her things down and walked towards her kitchen to prepare the ingredients. It was very quiet and she could guess why, what with Abby at the music festival and she guessed Ty was out with friends since she didn't hear his TV on upstairs.

She had just begun to cut up the vegetables for her casserole when she heard the dryer beep, notifying that it was done with its cycle.

"Hm?" Petunia said curiously, approaching the dryer. "Oh, is Ty home?" She wondered aloud, popping open the dryer to remove the clothes. "I'll just set these here and..." She trailed off, not actually recognizing the clothes as any of the ones she'd seen in Ty's wardrobe before and she usually bought him a majority of his clothes.

Black slacks, a dark long-sleeved shirt, some black socks, and underwear were nothing too unusual and she would have shrugged them off but it was the maroon and black jacket as well as fingerless gloves that caught her attention.

" _Maybe he just borrowed them from a friend and is washing them? Awe, he's so sweet._ " She thought before folding up the clothes neatly and taking them to his room.

"Ty?" She called as she knocked on his door. The loud thud and hurried footsteps that followed after startled her, to say the least. She could even hear some hushed whispers before Ty's door opened, revealing him looking...almost distraught?

"Mom? Hi, uh, I didn't hear you get home." Ty said, leaning against his door frame.

"I see. Honey, are you okay? You look, well, off."

"Off?" Ty said, chuckling nervously. "I don't know what you mean. I'm fine."

"Hmm..." Petunia looked Ty up and down. His face was flushed and his hair was somewhat messy, plus the way he was acting, she was starting to get an idea.

"Oh, honey, did I interrupt a _personal_ moment you were having?" She asked gently.

" ** _What?_** " Ty asked, his face turning even more red. "Mom, _no_!"

"It's okay Ty. It's perfectly natural, especially with you being at your age. I'm sorry I interrupted but I was just bringing your laundry." She handed it to him. "I'm going to be making dinner and it should be ready soon. Wash your hands when you're done okay?"

Ty stared at her with a look of horror as she walked off back downstairs. He closed the door and walked back into his room just as Kid began to crawl out from under Ty's bed. The parasite had a hard time containing himself, his giggles and laughter spilling out through his hand that he held over his mouth.

"It's not funny!" Ty said, his face still red. "I can't believe she thought I was masturbating!"

"Well," Kid said, his laughter dying out. "Isn't it better that way than if she thought you had someone in your room? Then she might have started investigating."

"I **guess** you're right." He placed the clothes on the bed and sat himself down. He took a deep breath and sighed softly. "I think keeping this whole thing a secret is going to be really difficult." The other nodded as he sat back on the bed too.

"Yeah, it is. Not to mention, really risky since you're a Grossologist, and if we get caught, it'll get really, well, ugly."

"Do you think we will?"

"I don't know. I can't say it's impossible but I think we're pretty careful, so far anyway." Ty pondered this quietly. "I also think it's worth it."

"Yeah?"

"Uh, _yes_." Kid said with a roll of his eyes. "If it wasn't worth it, I wouldn't have dug up **_bones_** to help make it happen!" Ty smiled and pulled the other into a hug. Kid Rot hugged him back and the two just remained in this position for a little while, enjoying the soft embrace.

After the first confrontation, Ty had known it would be difficult to keep the relationship going due to the secrecy of it all. That was one of the things his reasoning side repeated over and over again. But, to him, the risk had seemed worth the reward and he was relieved to hear that Kid Rot felt the same way.

Now it's just a matter of how well they can keep it hidden from the people in Ty's life. So far, although they'd been successful, there had been some slip ups. They'd need to be more careful.

If only it didn't have to be a secret.

If only.

* * *

 **Authors Notes:** _*As I rise out of some shallow grave*_ _**I AM ALIVE!**_

Okay, so I have been really busy but I am finally able to update this chapter! God, the last time I updated was back in August of last year! It has been five months! That's just over a month short of when I started working and now with school _**and**_ work on my plate, it's been even harder to update. But I promise, this story isn't dead and I am still working on it, little by little. During big moments of free time and such, I'll add more until I feel the chapter is complete and then update.

As for the chapter itself, it's a somewhat long chapter, or it at least feels that way. A good amount of things happened in it that I've been meaning to write for; the jetpack adjustment, Ty helping Kid to clean up (because I can't imagine he was keeping tidy while in the _**woods**_ ) and their first kiss, at last. The inclusion of Petunia in this chapter was actually a last minute adjustment, if I had to be honest. Originally, I was going to make it that Abby would come home early but I changed my mind last minute because I really like Petunia and thought it would make more sense.

One thing I still haven't addressed that I will address in later chapters, possibly the next one, is Chester and where he is in all this. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about him.

A response to StarSweep: I'm sorry that I've let the anticipation kill you for so long ;v; I hope this chapter helps. I'll try to update more often, or as often as I can.

Also, speaking of responses, since my last update, there have been more reviews placed but I'm not sure which ones I haven't responded to yet and which ones I have. Due to this, I'm sorry to anyone if I respond to your review **twice** or if I haven't responded at all! I'm just getting mixed up but please know that I appreciate all the reviews I get! I really do! They're a good part of what keeps me going.

Thank you all for your patience and hope you enjoy.


End file.
